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DELINEATIONS 
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AMERICAN SCENERY 


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CHARACTER 















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JoHN JAMES AUDUBON 
Painted from Life in 1833 by Henry Inman 


DELINEATIONS 
of 
AMERICAN SCENERY 


and 


CHARACTER 


BY 


JOHN JAMES AUDUBON 


WITH AN INTRODUCTION 


BY 
FRANCIS HOBART HERRICK, Pu.D., Sc.D. 


Professor of Biology in Western Reserve University 
Author of ‘‘Audubon, the Naturalist: A History 
of His Life and Time,”’ 


G. A. BAKER & COMPANY 
NEW YORK 1926 







| PRINTED AND BOUND BY THE VAIL- 
BINGHAMTON AND NEW YORK, 





CONTENTS 


TCC Se yee pay aipab. pn oped 
AuvuTHOR’s PREFACE... Gk Sere Means ie MEAL co 
-Avutuor’s Prerace, Part ia 7 

Tur Ouro 


Tue GREAT PINE ae 
Tue PRarriz 
THE REGULATORS 


IMPROVEMENTS IN THE RT TORS OF THE PAT eaeerene 93 


A FLoop 

MeEapvILLEe 

THe Covucar : aay 

ME REMOQUAKE: 200. 6 ye tee te et 
Tur Hurricane Ue SPIER anes Sa ene gS 
KENTUCKY SPORTS ... a Paneer 
Tuer TRAVELLER AND THE Hore Gar Bahan ales ace an 
oes fe 2 
NIAGARA ... ae, Ge eee ee prt 
HosPITALiry IN THE Rone tt a Mires wr eee ee 
Tue OrIcGINAL PAINTER MIME mre hy Teese wince a thi 
Perpesvinue IN KENTUCKY .— «ie: to; tet ‘te te 
eee tCOCRNTRIG NATURALIST ., (0: ts 1 im te 
Mens ASEAR 2 int ye tes tet od 
ePIC i yay yes ten teh sped te 
a ONT 2 ee 
ire Lost ONE. .. REP gar es Aner cree Hs 
Tuer Force oF THE iis Re er il een MS a ane 
Tuer SQUATTERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI . ... .. 
Tue SQuaTTrrs oF LABRADOR . ..; (6: i te 
Mer IRATE: 6. epee genes fog abe. te 
PeisAti, IN NEWFOUNDLAND ,.; 6) fei ote te 
BerivE-OMAKERS  . 4c, ie) det tet te Pol oes) te 
PEA GEN fa xh ey ar et ta dad et 


vi CONTENTS 


St. JoHN’s River, in FuLorIpa . 

Tue Fiorwa Keys . 

Tue Fuoriwa Keys . 

Tue TurRTLERS . 

Tur BurNING OF THE iiiaaas 

A Moost Hunt . 

JOURNEY IN NEw Beoweqier AND Manne 
Tuer Bay or Funpy 

Cop-Fisuinc in LABRADOR . 

Tur MerrcuHant or SAVANNAH 


Kentucky BARBECUE ON THE FouRTH OF Bh CLY.: 


THe AMERICAN Sun PERCH 

Tue Eccrers or LABRADOR . 

FisHiInG IN THE OHIO 

Tur WRECKERS OF FLORIDA : 
Tue Wuite PERcH AND ITS Ravounnee Bars 
A Racoon Hunt iw Kentucky 

A Wiip Horse . 

REMINISCENCES OF ene Rewer 

PirTinc oF THE WOLVES 

A Toucu WALK For A YOUTH . 

Breaxine Up or THe Ice . 

A Maptue-Sucar Camp . 

Tur Opossum 

A Lone CaLM aT a 

Stitt BEcALMED 

NatcHez In 1820 

Tue Lost Portro.rio 

LABRADOR 

Great Ecce Henan 


PAGE 


. 174 
. 181 
. 188 
19% 
. 203 
. 210 
ee Oi 
. 224 
. 230 
. 237 
. 241 
. 246 
. 253 
. 259 
. 267 
. 275 
Nay = 
. 287 
. 293 
BS, 
. 304 
. 310 
. 314 
. 318 
. 323 
. 328 
. B32 
. 336 
. 341 
. 346 


BRIEF BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE WORKS OF 
JOHN JAMES AUDUBON 


_ Tuer Birps or America, from Original Drawings. With 
435 plates showing 1,065 life-sized figures. 4 Volumes, 
double elephant folio. London, 1827-1838. 

ORNITHOLOGICAL BiocrRAPHY; or, An Account of the Habits 
of the Birds of the United States of America; accom- 
panied by descriptions of the Objects represented in 
“The Birds of America,” etc. 5 Vols., Royal 8vo. 
Edinburgh, 1831-1839. 

Text to the plates noted above. 


ERRATA 


Page xi, third line from bettom: read 1839 instead 
of 1893. 


Audubon’s spelling of personal names such as ‘‘Boon” 
has been followed throughout. 


\ weeee << Sy 


parts. Imperial folio. New York, 1845-1846. 

Tuer Viviearovus QuapRUPEDs oF NortH America. ‘Text 
to the plates noted above. 3 Vols., Royal 8vo. New 
York, 1846-1854. 

Tur Quaprureps or Nortu America. With 155 plates. 
3 Vols., Royal 8vo. New York, 1849-1854. 

Tur Bros or America. Second Edition of the Octavo 
form.  Vols., Royal 8vo. New York, 1856. 


Vil 


vi CONTENTS 


St. JoHN’s River, in FLORIDA . 

THe Fiorina Keys . 

Tue Fuorina Keys . 

THe TurRTLERS . 

Tur BurRNING OF THE ieee 

A Moosrt Hunr . ; 
JOURNEY IN NEW Reo AND Mant 
Tue Bay or Funpy 

Cop-Fisuinc in LABRADOR . 

Tur MERCHANT OF SAVANNAH 


Kentucky BARBECUE ON THE Roun OF J Th Gyan 


Tue AMERICAN Sun PERCH 

Tue Eccers or LABRADOR . 

FisHING IN THE OHIO 

THe WRECKERS OF FLORIDA 

Tue Wuitrt PEercu anp ITs Havanese Roe 


A Racoon Hunt 1n Kentucky 
Yee 0, nny fa pe PvEn ee 


Mabon £4UUoO ZEA DUU IV 


PAGE 


. 174 
ae ra 
. 188 
. 194 
. 203 
. 210 
. 217 
. 224 
. 230 
eet 
, Ba) 
. 246 
. 253 
. 259 
. 267 
. 275 
. 281 


aor 


. HO 


BRIEF BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE WORKS OF 
JOHN JAMES AUDUBON 


_ Tur Birps or America, from Original Drawings. With 
435 plates showing 1,065 life-sized figures. 4 Volumes, 
double elephant folio. London, 1827-1838. 

ORNITHOLOGICAL BiocrAPHY; or, An Account of the Habits 
of the Birds of the United States of America; accom- 
panied by descriptions of the Objects represented in 
“The Birds of America,” etc. 5 Vols., Royal 8vo. 
Edinburgh, 1831-1839. 

Text to the plates noted above. 

A Synopsis oF THE Birps or America. 8vo. Edinburgh 
& London, 1839. 

Tue Birps or America, from Drawings made in the United 
States and its Territories. With 500 plates. Issued 
in 100 parts, Royal 8vo. New York and Philadelphia, 
1840-1844. 

Tue Birps or America, from Drawings made in the United 
States and its Territories. With 500 plates. ‘7 Vols., 
Royal 8vo. New York and Philadelphia, 1840-1844. 

Tue Vivirparous QuapRuPEDs oF Nortu America (with 
John Bachman). With 150 plates. Issued in 30 
parts. Imperial folio. New York, 1845-1846. 

Tuer Viviearous QuapRuUPEDS oF Nortu America. Text 
to the plates noted above. 3% Vols., Royal 8vo. New 
York, 1846-1854. 

Tuer Quaprupeps or Nortu America. With 155 plates. 
3 Vols., Royal 8vo. New York, 1849-1854. 

Tue Birps or America. Second Edition of the Octavo 
form. "7 Vols., Royal 8vo. New York, 1856. 


Vil 


Vill BRIEF BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Tue Birps or America. With 106 plates. Partial re- 
issue of the large folio edition, never completed. New 
York, 1860. 

Tue Birps or America, etc. 7 Vols., Royal 8vo.. Text 
issued to the above. New York, 1861. 

Tue Birps or America, etc. Third Edition of the Octavo 
form. ‘7 Vols., Imperial 8vo., New York, 1861. 

Tur Birps or America, etc. Re-issue of the above. 7 
Vols., Imperial 8vo., New York, 1863. | 

Tuer Birps or America, etc. MRe-issue of the Third Edi- 
tion, arranged into 8 Vols., Imperial 8vo., New York, 
1865. | 

Tue Birps or America, etc. Re-issue of the above. 8 
Vols., Imperial 8vo., New York, [1870. ] 

For the fullest Bibliography of the Writings of Audubon, 
see “Audubon the Naturalist: A History of His Life 
and Time,” by Francis H. Herrick. 2 Vols., New 
York, 1917. In Vol. II, pages 401-456. 


INTRODUCTION 


Beyond a doubt John James Audubon was one of the most 
versatile and striking characters that has ever appeared in 
our history. In ardor and enthusiasm for the study of 
nature perhaps no one has ever surpassed him, and no one 
can measure the influence which his talents and devotion 
have exerted upon his favorite pursuits. 

Until recent years Audubon had been regarded as the 
Melchizedek of American natural history, nothing having 
been certainly known up to that time concerning his birth, 
his parentage and early life. Then the personal letters 
and family documents of his father, Lieutenant Jean Audu- 
bon, were suddenly discovered in surprising abundance at 
Couéron in France, where, in a villa on the right bank of the 
Loire, they had lain unnoticed for nearly an hundred years. 
The veil of mystery which had so completely enveloped the 
life of his illustrious son was suddenly lifted and we were 
enabled to form a more just estimate of his character and 
work. 

“America, my country,” whose life and scenery Audubon 
never tired of celebrating, has not forgotten him. A lofty 
peak in the Rocky Mountains, American counties and towns, 
as well as parks and streets in American cities now bear his 
~ name; and the far-famed and beneficent National Associa- 
tion of Audubon Societies for the-Protection of Wild Birds 
and Animals in recent years has made his name a household 
word throughout the land which he loved and whose bird and 
wild life he has depicted in unfading colors. 

Notwithstanding Audubon’s great fame and success as an 
animal painter and descriptive writer, the public has never 


had access to his work in cheap editions. It should be no- 
ix 


x INTRODUCTION 


ticed that his accounts of the birds were much more detailed 
than those of his famous contemporary, Alexander Wilson, 
and that his publications were projected on a large and ex- 
pensive scale. It is therefore hardly surprising that no re- 
print of even the smaller edition of his Birds has been made 
for half a century. 

Audubon’s greatest monument in the fields of natural his- 
tory and the graphic arts is the series of four-hundred and 
thirty-five double elephant folio plates that was published 
in Edinburgh and London from 1826 to 1838 and called 
The Birds of America, together with the five volumes of text 
entitled Ornithological Biography, which accompanied this 
and were issued at Edinburgh in 1831-39. Audubon had 
represented on his plates 1,065 life-size figures of 489 sup- 
posedly distinct species of American birds, besides hundreds 
of examples of American plants, insects and other animals. 

To relieve the tedium of descriptive ornithology Audubon 
introduced articles of a general nature into his Biographies, 
and called them “Episodes,” or ‘“‘Delineations of American 
Scenery and Character,” one such following every five arti- 
cles which described the species of birds depicted in a cor- 
responding “part” of his plates. These essays, which 
extended through the first three volumes of the Ornitholog- 
ical Biography to sixty in number, are here collected, with 
the omission only of the last, “Remarks on the Form of the 
Toes of Birds,” for the first time in a single volume. 

These off-hand sketches mainly relate to events between 
1808 and 1834, and as sidelights on pioneer life in America, 
particularly of the Ohio and Mississippi Vallies, they have a 
perennial interest. ‘The reader will find numerous tales of 
adventure in the wilderness and on the frontier, particularly 
in Kentucky, which for local coloring, vivid presentment and 
personal charm have seldom been equalled. Audubon was a 
keen observer of men and things as well as of birds and ani- 
mal life, and when writing down his experiences on the spot, 
as was his invariable custom after 1820, he was as truthful 


INTRODUCTION x1 


with his pen as with his pencil and brush. There is a wild 
and placid beauty in this description of the Ohio, his favor- 
ite river,—La Belle Riviere as the compatriots of his an- 
cestors had called it at an earlier day:—“As night came, 
sinking in darkness the broader portions of the river, our 
minds became affected by strong emotions, and wandered 
far beyond the present moments. The tinkling of bells told 
us that the cattle which bore them were gently roving from 
valley to valley in search of food, or returning to their dis- 
tant homes. The hooting of the Great Owl, or the muffled 
noise of its wings as it sailed smoothly over the stream, were 
matters of interest to us; so was the sound of the boatman’s 
horn, as it came winding more and more softly from afar. 
When daylight returned, many songsters burst forth with 
echoing notes, more and more mellow to the listening ear. 
Here and there the lonely cabin of a squatter struck the 
eye, giving note of commencing civilization. ‘The crossing 
of the stream by a deer foretold how soon the hills would be 
covered with snow.” 

With wonderful vividness also can we see the interior of 
the log-cabin in Kentucky, where he and his young son 
sought refuge on a stormy night in the forest, and to which 
the hospitable young woodsman had just brought his bride; 
the coon-hunter loading his rifle, or the belles with their 
beaux at “A Ballin Newfoundland.” When returning from 
St. Geneviéve in what is now Missouri, in the spring of 1811, 
with his knapsack, gun and dog as his only baggage and 
companions, and when following the old Indian trails, he met 
with an adventure which he thought had nearly cost him his 
life; and that, he said, was the only instance, during up- 
wards of twenty-five years in which his wanderings extended 
to every part of the country, that he felt his life to have 
been in danger from his fellow man. ‘Will you believe,” 
he said when writing in 1893, “that not many miles from the 
place where this adventure happened, and where fifteen 
years ago no habitation belonging to civilized man was to be 


Xil INTRODUCTION 


expected, and very few ever seen, large roads are now laid 
out, cultivation has converted the woods into fertile fields, 
taverns have been erected, and much of what we Americans 
call comfort is to be met with. So fast does improvement 
proceed in our abundant and free country.” 

Audubon foresaw with great concern the alteration which 
cultivation would produce along the delightful banks of his 
favorite stream, as he beheld “the surplus population of 
Europe coming to assist in the destruction of the forest” 
then “fast disappearing under the axe by day and the fire 
by night”; and he longed to have his incomparable country 
adequately protrayed by competent hands ere it was too 
late and when, as he would say, it was fresh from the Cre- 
ator’s own hand. He, at least, would do all in his power to 
portray the birds of his adopted land in their characteristic 
attitudes and environments, whether moving or at rest, amid 
appropriate foliage, flowers and fruits,—all holding up the 
mirror to nature in the accuracy of truth and in beauty as 
well. These “‘Delineations” were to be added also to give his 
work a more intimate and human touch as well as to beguile 
the reader. Such an ambition was enough to call out all of 
the man’s ardent enthusiasm, resourcefulness and iren tenac- 
ity of purpose; but the canvass was too large, and Audubon 
was obliged to give up his intercalated sketches in order to 
make way for the new materials relating more directly to 
ornithology, which were constantly growing under his hand. 

When Audubon, through dint of many failures and hard 
knocks, had come to the full realization of his mission, and 
when, at the age of thirty-five, his serious travels over the 
New and later over the Old World began, he turned every 
experience to good account. Wherever he slept, whether in 
the forest or in the settlements, there for the time he was at 
home and there his ‘‘observatory nerves” and pencil were at 
work. At commercial book-keeping he had proved a total 
failure, but in the care with which he posted his “‘books of 
nature” he had few equals. Every night, in spite of bodily 


INTRODUCTION Xiil 


fatigue or the many plausible excuses which are ever ready 
at hand, he would write out in pen and ink a full and careful 
record of his experiences of the day. Audubon was always 
the observer and the doer, and perhaps at times the actor as 
well, rather than the thinker, but he kept an honest record 
of himself, and the power of expression which he thus at- 
tained stood him in good stead when at the age of forty-six 
he came to produce his Bird-Biographies in Europe. 

One hundred years from the day and date on which this 
is written John James Audubon was at sea, aboard the 
schooner Delos, captain Joseph Hatch, of Kennebunk, 
Maine, which had sailed from New Orleans on the seventh of 
May and was bound for Liverpool with a cargo of cotton. 
Though he had then attained his forty-first year he was 
known to but few of his countrymen, yet his handsome face 
and French accent, aside from his flowing hair and nether 
garments of liberal dimensions, would have marked him any- 
where as an unusual character. He had fortified himself 
with valuable letters, but his most important credentials were 
the fruits of a life’s campaign,—his original paintings of 
American birds, contained in sundry large portfolios that 
constituted his principal baggage. Having been denied the 
encouragement and recognition which he craved in the land 
of his adoption mainly through the jealousy of a few in- 
dividuals at Philadelphia, who could not brook a rival to the 
fame of Alexander Wilson, Audubon had now resolutely 
turned his face to the Old World, and in London or Paris 
he hoped to find an engraver of his drawings as well as 
patrons through whose aid he could bring his labors to the 
light of day. 

The story of this unknown foreigner’s struggles and 
eventual success in the Europe of that period, which in an 
economic sense still belonged essentially to the eighteenth 
century, is one of the strangest romances in the history of 
science and literature of the past hundred years. In less 
than a week after his landing in Liverpool, unheralded and 


XIV INTRODUCTION 


not over supplied with funds, he was invited to exhibit his 
pictures at the Royal Institution and was immediately pro- 
claimed as a great American genius. It was not long before 
this artist-naturalist from the woods of the New World be- 
came the social lion of the day. At Edinburgh he attracted 
the ablest scientific and literary characters of the British 
Athens and he was liberally patronized by the aristocracy. 
There Lizars engraved the first of his mammoth plates,— 
the American Turkey Cock,—and showed him a proof of it 
on the twenty-eighth of November, 1826. Good copies of 
this, the most sought after, and possibly the rarest, of all 
Audubon’s plates, together with number eleven, the “Great 
American Hen and Young,” which was engraved by Lizars 
also, have brought upwards of five hundred dollars in Amer- 
ica in recent years. Audubon was compelled to transfer his 
publication to London, where under the Havells, father and 
son, it took a fresh start in the spring of 1827, and where 
under the skilful hands of Robert Havell, Junior, it was 
brought to a successful completion eleven years later. 

After Audubon had weathered the critical summer of 1827 
his prospects brightened and honors came to him in rapid 
succession. In 1828 he was elected a member of the Lin- 
naean Society, and a fellow of the Royal Society in 1830. 
In the latter year he brought his wife to England, and in 
1832 his elder son, Victor, took charge of his publication 
in London. Audubon’s return with his wife, who was Eng- 
lish born and bred, marked one of the happiest periods of 
his life. For ten years she had worked for the support and 
upbringing of their children in order that her husband’s 
hands might be free to follow his true vocation; never for a 
moment had she doubted his genius, and was not her judg- 
ment now vindicated before all the world? It is safe to say 
that without the sterling qualities of Lucy Audubon her 
husband’s name would not have reached far beyond the 
scenes of his trading ventures of the South and West. 

Audubon learned much from his early experience in writ- 


INTRODUCTION XV 


ing for publication in 1827, when he was bitterly assailed, 
as many thought, by those who had poured cold water on 
his plans at Philadelphia in 1824; but this and other attacks 
which followed probably helped him in the end. At all 
events, in his powers of expression, Audubon was not at this 
time the illiterate novice that certain antagonists had in- 
timated, as his journalizing will amply testify. John 
Wilson, or “Christopher North,” who recognized Audubon’s 
great talents from the first, and gave him much needed 
literary advice, devoted fifty pages of Blackwood’s Maga- 
zine to eulogistic reviews of the first volume of the Ornith- 
ological Biography. ‘Audubon,’ he said, “who had written 
but little even in his native tongue, under a powerful motive 
took to writing English; and he was not long in learning 
to write it well, not only with fluency, but eloquence. . . . 
Not a particle of jealousy is in his composition; a sin, that, 
alas! seems too easily to beset too many of the most gifted 
spirits in literature and science.” 

Wilson was essentially right in his estimate of Audubon 
with whom, as with every one else, more than genius was 
needed for good writing; his checkered career had been rich 
in experience; he had gone to nature, the fountain-head, for 
his materials, and once his mission was clearly seen the spur 
to fulfil it was never lacking; but having been denied an 
education in either the sciences or the classics, he stood in 
need of aid as well as advice. Both he later received in full 
measure from William Macgillivray, who in addition to cor- 
recting his letterpress supplied the anatomical details of the 
Ornithological Biography; and the aid thus received was 
acknowledged in a way satisfactory to both. 

In the course of an interrupted residence of thirteen years 
in the British Isles Audubon made three extended journeys 
through the United States, which occupied nearly five years 
(1829-30, 1831-34 and 1836-37) in search of new birds 
and subscribers. In 1833 he chartered his own vessel and 
sailed for Labrador with five assistants, while the spring of 


Xvl INTRODUCTION 


1837 found him aboard a Government vessel bound from 
New Orleans for Galveston in the newly established Republic 
of Texas. 

In the earlier and more critical years of his undertaking 
Audubon constantly resorted to his palette and brush and 
painted his way to liberty, or to what was then its equivalent, 
freedom from debt. ‘There are moments,” he said in 1835, 
“and they are not far between, when, thinking of my present 
enormous undertaking, I wonder how I have been able to 
support the extraordinary amount of monies paid for the 
work alone, without taking cognizance of my family and my 
expeditions, which ever and anon travelling as we are from 
place to place and country to country are also very great.” 
Yet Audubon supported himself and his family during their 
long residence aboard, met all the obligations incurred in the 
publication of a work which cost upwards of one hundred 
thousand dollars to produce, a sum that meant a large for- 
tune in the first third of the last century, and with fame 
and a modest competence returned to the land of his choice 
in 1839. 

Audubon’s great work was now accomplished and he an- 
ticipated a well earned leisure at home; but his restless en- 
ergy still drove him on and he entered at once upon two 
formidable tasks, the bringing out of his “‘smali’”’ or octavo 
revised edition of The Birds, and the beginning of the de- 
lineation of The Quadrupeds, in which he was aided by his 
two sons, and the accompanying text of which was written 
by his friend Bachman. In 1842 he settled upon his estate 
in what is now the portion of New York City called Audu- 
bon Park, which he deeded to his wife and named for her 
‘““Minnie’s land”; the name, said his granddaughter, coming 
from the fact that her father and uncle always used the 
Scotch name “Minnie” for mother. This was in Carmans- 
ville, later known as Washington Heights, where he pur- 
chased between thirty and forty acres of land which extended 
a thousand feet along the Hudson River from the present 


INTRODUCTION XVll 


One hundred and Fifty-fifth to One hundred and Fifty- 
eighth Streets, and reached to the easterly limits of the 
village at the old Bloomingdale Road, near the present Am- 
sterdam Avenue. 

Though feeling the weight of his laborious years and 
discouraged by his family, who felt for his safety, in March, 
1843, Audubon set out with four friends and assistants for 
one of his greatest journeys, to the region of the Upper 
Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers, then little known; and al- 
though unable to attain his long contemplated goal, the 
Rocky Mountains, he returned in the autumn with many 
new birds and mammals. To judge from his portraits, 
Audubon aged greatly between 1848 and 1850, when at the 
age of sixty-five he had the appearance of a broken and 
feeble man; and he died at ““Minnie’s Land” on January 27, 
1861, before the completion of his sixty-sixth year. His 
grave, now in Trinity Cemetery, New York, is marked by 
a beautiful Runic cross in white marble which was erected 
by popular subscription and dedicated in 1893. 

To revert to the mystery that was so successfully spread 
over the early life of John James Audubon that probably 
not a single member of his family in America ever learned 
the facts: Audubon at one time declared that he belonged 
to every country, at another that the precise period of his 
birth was a complete enigma to him, and, stranger yet, he 
was not adverse to being considered much older than he 
really was. The first definite date which he gave of his own 
history was that of his marriage to Lucy Bakewell on June 
12, 1808. His granddaughter, Maria R. Audubon, ac- 
cepted the late tradition, without a shred of historical evi- 
dence in support of it, that he was a Louisianian by birth 
and first saw light on a certain plantation on the north side 
of Lake Pontchartrain about 1780. Fables, like traditions 
are commonly of slow growth, but when they have become 
entrenched in the popular mind by a process of gradual 
absorption their tenacity of life is remarkable. No doubt 


XVill INTRODUCTION 


the false halo of mystery and tradition which has gathered 
about the life of this remarkable man will be cherished and 
repeated by the uninformed for many years to come. 

Fougére,—in English, Fern,—Jean Rabin, or Jean 
Jacques Fougére, to give his baptismal name, was born at 
Les Cayes, Santo Domingo, in what is now Haiti, on April 
26, 1785, the natural son of Lieutenant Jean Audubon and 
a French creole woman, named Rabin. 

The most important records concerning Audubon’s early 
life have now been recovered and include the curious bill of 
the physician who attended Audubon’s mother at the time 
of his birth, the record of his adoption at Nantes in 1794,— 
the second year of the Republic, when his father as ensign 
commanded a sloop of war,—the certificate of his baptism at 
Nantes in his sixteenth year, and the six wills executed at 
Couéron by Jean Audubon and his wife, Anne Moynet, be- 
tween May 20, 1812 and July 16, 1821. ‘These and numer- 
ous other pertinent documents, which are reproduced in the 
Life* of the naturalist published in 1917, contain in the 
fullest manner the statements repeated here. How much 
Jean Audubon’s son owed to his French creole mother will 
probably never be known, but to his capable, self-taught 
and enterprising father we can surely trace his restless 
energy, his versatile mind and mercurial temper, as well as 
that inherent capacity for taking pains which father and 
son possessed in a marked degree. 

Audubon’s life offers a striking example of the power 
which circumstance and environment can exert in awaken- 
ing dormant capacity and in calling into action every talent 
which heredity has supplied. Long thought to be indolent 
by some of his neighbors because he did not stick behind the 
counter or follow their pursuits, and also “suthin’ peculiar- 
some,” as Dennis Hanks said of young Abe Lincoln, Audu- 
bon at the age of forty suddenly emerges from obscurity and 


1 Herrick, Francis H.: Audubon the Naturalist: A History of his 
Life and Time. Two volumes. New York, 1917. 


INTRODUCTION x1x 
is soon recognized as one of the great workers of the world. 
Who can say whether his success in the end was not due as 
much to a winning personality and enthusiasm as to his 
remarkable talents? 

Francis H. Herrick. 


Western Reserve University, 
June 80, 1926. 





“ 





AUTHOR’S PREFACE 


WueEn, for the first time, I left my father, and all the dear 
friends of my youth, to cross the great ocean that separates 
my native shores from those of the eastern world, my heart 
sunk within me. While the breezes wafted along the great 
ship that from La Belle France conveyed me towards the 
land of my birth, the lingering hours were spent in deep 
sorrow or melancholy musing. Even the mighty mass of 
waters that heaved around me excited little interest: my 
affections were with those I had left behind, and the world 
seemed to me a great wilderness. At length I reached the 
country in which my eyes first opened to the light; I gazed 
with rapture upon its noble forests, and no sooner had I 
landed, than I set myself to mark every object that pre- 
sented itself, and became imbued with an anxious desire to 
discover the purpose and import of that nature which lay 
spread around me in luxuriant profusion. But ever and 
anon the remembrance of the kind parent, from whom I 
had been parted by uncontrollable circumstances, filled my 
mind, and as I continued my researches, and penetrated 
deeper into the forest, I daily became more anxious to re- 
turn to him, and to lay at his feet the simple results of my 
multiplied exertions. 

Reader, since I left you, I have felt towards you as to- 
wards that parent. When I parted from him he evinced 
his sorrow; when I returned he met me with an affectionate 
smile. If my recollection of your kind indulgence has not 
deceived me, I carried with me to the western world your 
wish that I should return to you; and the desire of gratify- 
ing that wish, ever present with me as I wandered amidst 
the deep forests, or scaled the rugged rocks, in regions 

, xxi 


XXil PREFACE 


which I visited expressly for the purpose of studying nature 
and pleasing you, has again brought me into your presence: 
I have returned to present you with all that seems most 
interesting in my collections. Should you accept the offer- 
ing, and again smile benignantly upon me, I shall be content 
and happy. 

Soon after the engraving of my work commenced, I bade 
adieu to my valued friends in Edinburgh, whose many kind- 
nesses were deeply impressed on my heart. The fair city 
gradually faded from my sight, and, as I crossed the dreary 
heaths of the Lammermoor, the mental prospect became 
clouded; but my spirits revived as I entered the grounds 
of Mr. Selby, of Twizel House, for in him I knew I pos- 
sessed a friend. The few days spent under his most hos- 
pitable roof, and the many pleasures I enjoyed there, I shall 
ever remember with gratitude. 

I was then on my way to London, which I had never yet 
visited. 'The number of letters given me to facilitate my 
entry into the metropolis of England, and to aid me in pro- 
curing subscribers to my work, accumulated during my 
progress. At Newcastle-upon-Tyne I made my next halt. 
There the venerable Bewick, the Adamsons, the Turners, 
the Donkins, the Buddles, the Charnleys and others, re- 
ceived me with great kindness, and helped to increase my 
list of subscribers. The noble family of the Ravensworths I 
also added to my friends, and from them I have since re- 
ceived important benefits, particularly from the Honourable 
Thomas Liddell, whose partiality for my pursuits induced 
him to evince a warm interest in my favour, which I shall 
ever acknowledge with feelings of affection and esteem. 

It was there, reader, that, as my predecessor Wilson had 
done in America, I for the first time in England exhibited 
some engravings of my work, together with the contents of 
my portfolios. I cannot say that the employment was 
a pleasant one to me, nor do I believe it was so to him; 
but by means of it he at the time acquired that fame, of 


PREFACE Xxlll 


which I also was desirous of obtaining a portion; and, know- 
ing that should I be successful, it would greatly increase 
the happiness of my wife and children, I waged war against 
my feelings, and welcomed all, who, from love of science, 
from taste, or from generosity, manifested an interest in the 
“‘American Woodsman.” 

See him, reader, in a room crowded by visitors, holding 
at arm’s length each of his large drawings, listening to the 
varied observations of the lookers-on, and feel, as he now 
and then did, the pleasure which he experienced when some 
one placed his sign manual on the list. This occupation 
was continued all the way until I reached the skirts of Lon- 
don ; but the next place to which I went was the city of York, 
where I formed acquaintance with a congenial spirit, Mr. 
Phillips, who is now well known to you as an eminent Pro- 
fessor of Geology. There also I admired the magnificent 
Minster, within whose sacred walls I in silence offered up 
my humble prayer to heaven. 

At Leeds, the Gotts, the Bankses, the Walkers, the 
Marshalls, the Davys, were all extremely kind to me, and 
I found a fine museum belonging to the most interesting and 
amiable family of the Calverts, in whose society my evenings 
were chiefly spent. 

On my second visit to Manchester I obtained upwards of 
twenty subscribers in one week, and became acquainted with 
persons whose friendship has never failed. Of them I may 
particularly mention the Dyers, the Kennedys, the Darbi- 
shires, and the Sowlers. 

Having once more reached the hospitable home of the 
Rathbones, at Liverpool, I felt my heart expand within me, 
and I poured forth my thanks to my Maker for the many 
favours which I had in so short a period received. I read 
to my friends the names of more than seventy subscribers 
to my “Birds of America.” 

My journey was continued through Chester, Birmingham, 
and Oxford, and I passed in view of the regal and magnifi- 


XXIV PREFACE 


cent Castle of Windsor. The impression made on my mind 
the day I reached the very heart of London I am unable to 
describe. Suffice it, kind reader, to tell you that many were 
the alternations of hope and fear as I traversed the vast 
metropolis. I cannot give you an adequate idea of my 
horror or of my admiration, when on the one side I saw 
pallid poverty groping in filth and rags, and turning away 
almost in despair, beheld the huge masses of the noblest 
monument ever raised to St. Paul, which reminded me of 
the power and grandeur of man;—and along with the 
thronging crowds I moved, like them intent on making my 
way through the world. 

Eighty-two letters of introduction were contained in my 
budget. Besides these I was the bearer of general letters 
from Henry Clay, Speaker of the House of Congress, Gen- 
eral Andrew Jackson, and other individuals in America, to 
all our diplomatists and consuls in Europe and elsewhere. 
Thus, reader, you will perceive that I had some foundation 
for the hope that I should acquire friends in the great city. 

In May, 1827, I reached that emporium of the produc- 
tions of all climes and nations. After gazing a day on all 
that I saw of wonderful and interesting, I devoted the rest 
of my time to visiting. Guided by a map, I proceeded along 
the crowded streets, and endeavoured to find my way 
through the vast labyrinth. From one great man’s door to 
another I went; but judge of my surprise, reader, when, 
after wandering the greater part of three successive days, 
early and late, and at all hours, I had not found a single 
individual at home! | 

Wearied and disappointed, I thought my only chance of 
getting my letters delivered was to consign them to the 
post, and accordingly I handed them all over to its care, ex- 
cepting one, which was addressed to “J. G. Children, Esq., 
British Museum.” Thither I now betook myself, and was 
delighted to meet with that kind and generous person, whose 
friendship I have enjoyed ever since. He it was who 


PREFACE | XXV 


pointed out to me the great error I had committed in hav- 
ing put my letters into the post-office, and the evil arising 
from this step is perhaps still hanging over me, for it has 
probably deprived me of the acquaintance of half of the 
persons to whom they were addressed. In the course of 
a week, about half a dozen of the gentlemen who had read 
my letters, left their cards at my rooms. By degrees I 
became acquainted with a few of them, and my good friend 
of the Museum introduced me to others. I renewed my 
acquaintance with the benevolent Lord Stanley, and be- 
came known to other noblemen, liberal like himself. Soon 
after I was elected a Member of the Linnean and Zoological 
Societies. 

About this time, the Prince of Musignano, so well known 
for his successful cultivation of Natural History, arrived 
in London. He found me out through the medium of the 
learned geologist, Featherstonhaugh, and one evening I 
had the pleasure of receiving a visit from him, accompanied 
by that gentleman, Mr. Vigors, and some other persons. 
I felt happy in having once more by my side my first 
ornithological adviser, and that amiable and highly talented 
friend, with the accomplished geologist, remained with me 
until a late hour. Their departure affected me with grief, 
and since that period I have not seen the Prince. For 
several months I occupied myself with painting in oil, and 
attending to the progress of my plates. I now became ac- 
quainted with that eminent and amiable painter, Sir Thomas 
Lawrence, through a kindred spirit, Thomas Sully, of Phila- 
delphia; from both of whom, at different periods, I have re- 
ceived advice with reference to their enchanting art. One 
morning I had the good fortune to receive a visit from Mr. 
Swainson, whose skill as a naturalist every one knows, and 
who has ever since been my substantial friend. M. Tem- 
minck also called, as did other scientific individuals, among 
whom was my ever-valued friend Robert Bakewell, whose 
investigations have tended so much to advance the progress 


XXV1 PREFACE 


of geology; and as my acquaintance increased I gradually 
acquired happiness. Having visited those renowned seats 
of learning, Cambridge and Oxford, I became acquainted at 
the former with the Vice-Chancellor, Mr. Davie, Professors 
Sedgwick, Whewell, and Henslow, the Right Honourable 
Wentworth Fitzwilliam, John Lodge, Esq., Dr. Thackery, 
and many other gentlemen of great learning and talent; at 
the latter, with Dr. Buckland, Dr. Kidd, and others. 
These Universities afforded me several subscribers. 

In the summer of 1828, my friend Swainson and I went to 
Paris, where I became acquainted with the great Cuvier, 
Geoffroy St. Hilaire, his son Isidore, M. Dorbigny, and 
M. Lesson, as well as that master of flower-painters, M. 
Redouté, and other persons eminent in science and the arts. 
Our time in Paris was usefully and agreeably spent. We 
were gratified at the liberality with which every object that 
we desired to examine in the great Museum of France was 
submitted to our inspection. Many of our evenings were 
spent under the hospitable roof of Baron Cuvier, where 
the learned of all countries usually assembled. ‘Through 
the influence of my noble-spirited friend, M. Redouté, I 
was introduced to the Duke of Orleans, now King of the 
French, and to several Ministers of State. The hour spent 
with Louis Phillippe and his Son, was, by their dignified 
urbanity, rendered one of the most agreeable that has fallen 
to my lot; and in consequence of that interview I procured 
many patrons and friends. 

Returning to England, I spent the winter there, and in 
April, 1829, sailed for America. With what pleasure did 
I gaze on each setting sun, as it sunk in the far distant west! 
With what delight did I mark the first wandering American 
bird that hovered over the waters! and how joyous were 
my feelings when I saw a pilot on our deck! I leaped on 
the shore, scoured the woods of the Middle States, and — 
reached Louisiana in the end of November. Accompanied 
by my wife, I left New Orleans on the 8th of January, 1830, 


PREFACE XXVIl 


and sailing from New York on the Ist of April, we had the 
pleasure, after a voyage of twenty-five days, of landing in 
safety at Liverpool, and finding our friends and relations 
well. When I arrived in London, my worthy friend, J. G. 
Children, Esq., presented me with a Diploma from the 
Royal Society. Such an honour conferred on an American 
Woodsman could not but be highly gratifying to him. I 
took my seat in the hall, and had the pleasure of pressing 
the hand of the learned President with a warm feeling of 
esteem. I believe I am indebted for this mark of favour 
more particularly to Lord Stanley and Mr. Children. 

And now, kind reader, having traced my steps to the 
period when I presented you with my first volume of Illus- 
trations and that of my Ornithological Biographies, allow 
me to continue my narrative. 

Previous to my departure from England, on a second 
visit to the United States, I had the honour and gratification 
of being presented to his Royal Highness the Duke of 
Sussex, who graciously favored me with a general letter of 
recommendation to the authorities in the British colonies. 
With others of a similar nature I was also honoured by the 
Noble Lords Stanley, Palmerston, Howick, and Goderich. 

We sailed on the Ist of August, 1831, and landed at New 
York, where I spent a few days only, and proceeded to 
Philadelphia. ‘There I found my old and firm friends 
Harlan, Wetherell, Pickering, Sully, Norris, Walsh, and 
others, a few subscribers, and some diplomas. I had now 
two assistants, one from London, Mr. Ward, the other a 
highly talented Swiss, Mr. George Lehman. At Washing- 
ton I received from the heads of our Government letters of 
assistance and protection along the frontiers, which it was 
my intention to visit. For these acts of kindness and en- 
couragement, without which my researches would have been 
more arduous and less efficient, I am much indebted, and 
gratefully offer my acknowledgments, to Major-General 
M‘Comb, General Jessup, General Gratiot, the Honourable 


XXVill PREFACE 


Messrs. M‘Lean, Livingston, and Woodbury, to Colonel 
John Abert, and others, whose frank and prompt attentions 
will never be forgotten by me. I need not say that towards 
our President and the enlightened members of the civil, 
military, and naval departments, I felt the deepest gratitude 
for the facilities which they thus afforded me. All received 
me in the kindest manner, and accorded to me whatever I 
desired of their hands. How often did I think of the error 
committed by Wilson, when, instead of going to Washing- 
ton, and presenting himself to President Jefferson, he for- 
warded his application through an uncertain medium. He, 
like myself, would doubtless have been received with favour, 
and obtained his desire. How often have I thought of the 
impression his piercing eye would have made on the discrimi- 
nating and learned President, to whom in half the time 
necessary for reading a letter, he might have said six times 
as much as it contained. But, alas! Wilson, instead of 
presenting himself, sent a substitute, which, it seems, was not 
received by the President, and which, therefore, could not 
have answered the intended end. How pleasing was it to 
me to find in our Republic, young as she is, the promtitude 
to encourage science, occasionally met with in other coun- 
tries. Methinks I am now bidding adieu to the excellent 
men who so kindly received me, and am still feeling the 
pressure of their hands indicative of a cordial wish for the 
success of my undertaking. May He who gave me being 
and inspired me with a desire to study his wondrous works, 
grant me the means of proving to my country the devoted- 
ness with which I strive to render myself not unworthy 
of her! 

We now proceeded swiftly down the broad Chesapeake 
Bay, reached Norfolk, and removing into another steamer 
bound to the capital of Virgina, soon arrived at Richmond. 
Having made acquaintance, many years before, in Ken- 
tucky, with the governor of that State, the Honourable 
John Floyd, I went directly to him, was received in the 


PREFACE XX1X 


kindest manner, and furnished with letters of introduction ; 
after which we proceeded southward until we arrived at 
Charleston, in South Carolina. It was there that I formed 
an acquaintance, now matured into a highly valued friend- 
ship, with the Rev. John Bachman, a proficient in general 
science, and particularly in zoology and botany, and one 
whose name you will often meet with in the course of my 
biographies. But I cannot refrain from describing to you 
my first interview with this generous friend, and mentioning 
a few of the many pleasures I enjoyed under his hospitable 
roof, and in the company of his most interesting family and 
connections. 

It was late in the afternoon when we took our lodgings 
in Charleston. Being fatigued, and having written the sub- 
stance of my journey to my family, and delivered a letter 
to the Rev. Mr. Gilman, I retired to rest. At the first 
glimpse of day the following morning, my assistants and 
myself were already several miles from the city, commen- 
cing our search in the fields and woods, and having pro- 
cured abundance of subjects, both for the pencil and the 
scalpel, we returned home, covered with mud, and so ac- 
coutred as to draw towards us the attention of every person 
in the streets. As we approached the boarding-house, I 
observed a gentleman on horseback close to our door. He 
looked at me, came up, inquired if my name was Audubon, 
and on being answered in the affirmative, instantly leaped 
from his saddle, shook me most cordially by the hand— 
there is much to be expressed and understood by a shake 
of the hand—and questioned me in so kind a manner, that 
I for a while felt doubtful how to reply. At his urgent 
desire, I removed to his house, as did my assistants. Suit- 
able apartments were assigned to us, and once introduced 
to the lovely and interesting group that composed his family, 
I seldom passed a day without enjoying their society. Serv- 
ants, carriages, horses, and dogs, were all at our command, 
and friends accompanied us to the woods and plantations, 


Xxx PREFACE 


and formed parties for water excursions. Before I left 
Charleston, I was truly sensible of the noble and generous 
spirit of the hospitable Carolinians. 

Having sailed for the Floridas, we, after some delay, 
occasioned by adverse winds, put into a harbour near St. 
Simon’s Island, where I was so fortunate as to meet with 
Thomas Butler King, Esq., who, after replenishing our 
provision-stores, subscribed to the “Birds of America.” At 
length we were safely landed at St. Augustine, and com- 
menced our investigation. Of my sojourn in Florida, dur- 
ing the winter of 1831-32, you will find some account in 
this volume. Returning to Charleston, we passed through 
Savannah, respecting my short stay in which city you will 
also find some particulars in the sequel. At Charleston 
we lived with my friend Bachman, and continued our oc- 
cupations. In the beginning of April, through the influence 
of letters from the Honourable Lewis M‘Lean, of the Treas- 
ury Department, and the prompt assistance of Colonel J. 
Pringle, we went on board the revenue cutter, the “Marion,” 
commanded by Robert Day, Esq., to whose friendly atten- 
tion I am greatly indebted for the success which I met 
with in my pursuits, during his cruize along the dangerous 
coast of East Florida, and amongst the islets that every 
where rise from the surface of the ocean, like gigantic water- 
lies. At Indian Key, the Deputy-Collector, Mr. Thruston, 
afforded me important aid; and at Key West I enjoyed the 
hospitality of Major Glassel, his officers and their families, 
as well as of my friend Dr. Benjamin Strobel, and other 
inhabitants of that singular island, to all of whom I now sin- 
cerely offer my best thanks for the pleasure which their so- 
ciety afforded me, and the acquisitions which their ever 
ready assistance enabled me to make. 

Having examined every part of the coast which it was the 
duty of the commander of the Marion to approach, we re- 
turned to Charleston with our numerous prizes, and shortly 
afterwards I bent my course eastward, anxious to keep 


PREFACE XXXI 


pace with the birds during their migrations. With the 
assistance of my friend Bachman, I now procured for my 
assistant, Mr. Ward, a situation of ease and competence, 
in the Museum of the Natural History Society of Charles- 
ton, and Mr. Lehman returned to his home. At Phila- 
delphia I was joined by my family, and once more together 
we proceeded towards Boston. ‘That dreadful scourge the 
cholera was devastating the land, and spreading terror 
around its course. We left Philadelphia under its chastis- 
ing hand, and arrived at New York, where it was raging, 
while a heavy storm that suddenly burst over our heads 
threw an additional gloom over the devoted city, already 
bereft of a great part of her industrious inhabitants. After 
spending a day with our good friends and relatives, we con- 
tinued our journey, and arrived at Boston. 

Boston! Ah! reader, my heart fails me when I think of 
the estimable friends whose society afforded me so much 
pleasure in that beautiful city, the Athens of our Western 
World. Never, I fear, shall I have it in my power to re- 
turn a tithe of the hospitality which was there shewn to- 
wards us, or of the benevolence and generosity which we 
experienced, and which evidently came from the heart, 
without the slightest mixture of ostentation. Indeed, I 
must acknowledge that although I have been happy in 
forming many valuable friendships in various parts of the 
world, all dearly cherished by me, the outpouring of kind- 
ness which I experienced at Boston far exceeded all that I 
have ever met with. 

Who that has visited that fair city, has not admired her 
site, her university, her churches, her harbours, the pure 
morals of her people, the beautiful country around her, 
gladdened by glimpses of villas, each vying with another 
in neatness and elegance? Who that has made his pilgrim- 
age to her far-famed Bunker’s Hill, entered her not less 
celebrated Faneuil-Hall, studied the history of her infancy, 
her progress, her indignant patriotism, her bloody strife, 


XXXll PREFACE 


and her peaceful prosperity—that has moreover experi- 
enced, as I have done, the beneficence of her warm-hearted 
and amiable sons—has not felt his bosom glow with admira- 
tion and love? ‘Think of her Adamses, her Perkins, her 
Kveretts, her Peabodys, Cushings, Sturgis, Appleton, 
Quincys, Storys, Bowditch, Shattuck, Jacksons, Paines, 
Greens, Tudors, Davises and Pickerings, whose public and 
private life presents all that we deem estimable, and let 
them be bright examples of what the citizens of a free land 
ought to be. But besides these honourable individuals 
whom I have taken the liberty of mentioning, many others 
I could speak of with delight; and one I would point out in 
particular, as him to whom my deepest gratitude is due, 
one whom I cannot omit mentioning, because of all the good 
and the estimable, he it is whose remembrance is most dear 
to me:—that general friend is 

About the middle of August we left our Boston friends, 
on our way eastward; and, after rambling here and there, 
came in sight of Moose Island, on which stands the last fron- 
tier town, boldly facing one of the entrances of the Bay of 
Fundy. ‘The climate was cold, but the hearts of the inhabi- 
tants of Eastport were warm. One day sufficed to render 
me acquainted with all whom I was desirous of knowing. 
Captain Childs, the commander of the garrison, was most 
obliging to me, while his wife shewed the greatest kindness 
to mine; and the brave officers received my sons with broth- 
erly feelings. Think, reader, of the true pleasure we en- 
joyed when travelling together, and everywhere greeted 
with so cordial a welcome, while every facility was afforded 
me in the prosecution of my researches. We made excur- 
sions into the country around, ransacked the woods and the 
shores, and on one occasion had the pleasure of meeting with 
a general officer in his Britannic Majesty’s service, who, 
on my presenting to him the official documents with which 
I had been honoured by the Home Department, evinced the 
greatest desire to be of service to me. We removed for 








PREFACE XXXlil 


some weeks to Dennisville, a neat little village, where the 
acquaintance of Judge Lincoln’s family rendered our stay 
exceedingy agreeable. We had, besides, the gratification of 
being joined by two gentlemen from Boston, one of whom 
has ever since remained a true friend to me. Time passed 
away, and having resolved to explore the British provinces 
of New Brunswick, we proceeded to St. John’s, where we 
met with much politeness, and ascending the river of that 
name, a most beautiful stream, reached Frederickton, where 
we spent a week. Here Sir Archibald Campbell, Bart. re- 
ceived us with all the urbanity and kindness of his amiable 
nature. We then ascended the River to some miles below 
the “Great Falls,” parallel to Mar’s Hill, and again entered 
the United States’ territory near Woodstock. From this 
spot we proceeded to Bangor, on the Penobscot river, as you 
will find detailed in one of my short narratives entitled, “A 
Journey in New Brunswick and Maine.” 

Soon after our arrival in Boston, my son Victor Gifford 
set sail for England, to superintend the publication of my 
“Birds of America,” and we resumed our pursuits, making 
frequent excursions into the surrounding country. Here 
I was a witness to the melancholy death of the lamented 
Spurzheim, and was myself suddenly attacked by a severe 
illness, which greatly alarmed my family; but, thanks to 
Providence, and my medical friends Parkman, Warren, and 
Shattuck, I was soon enabled to proceed with my labours. 
A sedentary life and too close application being the cause 
assigned for my indisposition, I resolved to set out again in 
quest of fresh materials for my pencil and pen. My wishes 
directing me to Labrador, I returned eastward with my 
youngest son, and had the pleasure of being joined by 
four young gentlemen, all fond of Natural History, and 
willing to encounter the difficulties and privations of the 
voyage,—George C. Shattuck, Jr., Thomas Lincoln, William 
Ingalls, and Joseph Cooledge. 

At Eastport, in Maine, I chartered a beautiful and fast- 


XXXIV PREFACE 


sailing schooner, the “Ripley,’? under the command of Mr. 
Henry W. Emmery, and, through the medium of my gov- 
ernment letters, was enabled to visit, in the United States’ 
Revenue Cutters, portions of the Bay of Fundy, and several 
of the thinly inhabited islands at its entrance. At length 
the day of our departure for Labrador arrived. ‘The wharf 
was crowded with all our friends and acquaintance, and as 
the “star-spangled banner” swiftly glided to the mast-head 
of our buoyant bark, we were surprised and gratified by 
a salute from the fort that towers high over the bay. As we 
passed the Revenue Cutter at anchor, her brave commander 
paid us the same honour; after which he came on board, and 
piloted us through a very difficult outlet. 

The next day, favoured by a good breeze, we proceeded 
at a rapid rate, and passing through the interesting Gut of 
Cansso, launched into the broad waters of the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence, and made sail for the Magdalen Islands. There 
we spent a few days, and made several valuable observa- 
tions. Proceeding thence, we came in view of the famous 
“Gannet Rock,” where countless numbers of Solan Geese 
sat on their eggs. A heavy gale coming on, away we 
sped with reefed sails, towards the Coast of Labrador, which 
next morning came in view. ‘The wind had by this time 
fallen to a moderate breeze, the sky was clear, and every 
eye was directed towards the land. As we approached it, 
we perceived what we supposed to be hundreds of snow-white 
sails sporting over the waters, and which we conjectured 
to be the barks of fishermen; but on approaching them, we 
found them to be masses of drifting snow and ice, which 
filled every nook and cove of the rugged shores. Our cap- 
tain had never been on the coast before, and our pilot proved 
useless; but the former being a skilful and sagacious sea- 
man, we proceeded with confidence, and after passing a 
group of fishing boats, the occupiers of many of which we 
had known at Eastport, we were at length safely anchored 


PREFACE XXXV 


in the basin named ‘“‘American Harbour,” where we found 
several vessels taking in cured fish. 

But few days had elapsed, when, one morning, we saw a 
vessel making towards our anchorage, with the gallant flag 
of England waving in the breeze, and as she was moored 
within a cable-length of the Ripley, I soon paid my respects 
to her commander, Captain Bayfield, of the Royal Navy. 
The politeness of British Naval officers is proverbial, and 
from the truly frank and cordial reception of this gentleman 
and his brave “companions in arms,” I feel more than ever 
assured of the truth of this opinion. On board the “Gul- 
nare” there was also an amiable and talented surgeon, who 
was a proficient in botany. We afterwards met with the 
vessel in several other harbours. 

Of the country of Labrador you will find many detached 
sketches in this volume, so that for the present it is enough 
for me to say that having passed the summer there, we sailed 
on our return for the United States, touched at Newfound- 
land, explored some of its woods and rivers, and landed at 
Pictou in Nova Scotia, where we left the Ripley, which pro- 
ceeded to Eastport with our collections. While at Pictou, 
we called upon Professor MacCulloch, of the University, 
who received us in the most cordial manner, shewed us his 
superb collections of Northern Birds, and had the goodness 
to present me with specimens of skins, eggs, and nests. He 
did more still, for he travelled forty miles with us, to intro- 
duce us to some persons of high station in the Province, who 
gave us letters for Halifax. There, however, we had the 
misfortune of finding the individuals to whom we had intro- 
ductions, absent, and being ourselves pressed for time, we 
remained only a day or two, when we resumed our progress. 

Our journey through Nova Scotia was delightful, and, 
like the birds that, over our heads, or amidst the boughs, 
were cheerfully moving towards a warmer climate, we pro- 
ceeded gaily in a southern direction. At St. John’s, in 


XXXVI PREFACE 


New Brunswick, I had the gratification of meeting with my 
kind and generous friend, Edward Harris, Esq., of New 
York. Letters from my son in England, which he handed 
to me, compelled me to abandon our contemplated trip 
through the woods to Quebec, and I immediately proceeded 
to Boston. One day only was spent there, when the husband 
was in the arms of his wife, who with equal tenderness em- 
braced her beloved child. 

I had left Eastport with four young gentlemen under my 
care, some of whom were strangers to me, and I felt the 
responsibility of my charge, being now and then filled with 
terror lest any accident should befall them, for they were as 
adventurous as they were young and active. But, thanks 
to the Almighty, who granted us his protection, I had the 
satisfaction of restoring them in safety to their friends. 
And so excellent was the disposition of my young com- 
panions, that not a single instance of misunderstanding oc- 
curred on the journey to cloud our enjoyment, but the most 
perfect cordiality was manifested by each towards all the 
rest. It was a happy moment to me when I delivered them 
to their parents. | , 

From Boston we proceeded to New York, where I ob- 
tained a goodly number of subscribers, and experienced 
much kindness. My work demanded that I should spend 
the winter in the south, and therefore I determined to set 
out immediately. I have frequently thought that my suc- 
cess in this vast undertaking was in part owing to my 
prompt decision in every thing relating to it. This decision 
I owe partly to my father, and partly to Benjamin Frank- 
lin. We arrived at Charleston in October, 1833. At 
Columbia I formed an acquaintance with Thomas Cooper, 
the learned President of the College there. Circumstances 
rendered impracticable my projected trip to the Floridas, 
and along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, for which reason, 
after spending the winter in keen research, aided by my 
friend Bachman, I retraced my steps in March, in company 


PREFACE XXXVll 


with my wife and son, to New York. At Baltimore, where 
we spent a week, my friends Messrs. Morris, Gilmore, Skin- 
ner, and Drs. Potter, Edmonston, Geddings, and Ducatell, 
greatly aided me in augmenting my list of subscribers as 
did also my friend Colonel Theodore Anderson. My best 
acknowledgments are offered to these gentlemen for their 
polite and kind attentions. 

Taking a hurried leave of my friends, Messrs. Prime, 
King, Stuveysant, Harris, Lang, Ray, Van Ransselaer, 
Low, Joseph, Kruger, Buckner, Carman, Peal, Cooper, and 
the Reverend W. A. Duer, President of the College, we em- 
barked on board the packet ship the North America, com- 
manded by that excellent man and experienced seaman, Cap- 
tain Charles Dixey, with an accession of sixty-two sub- 
scribers, and the collections made during nearly three years 
of travel and research. 

In the course of that period, I believe, I have acquired 
much information relative to the Ornithology of the United 
States, and in consequence of observations from naturalists 
on both continents, I embraced every opportunity of form- 
ing a complete collection of the various birds portrayed in 
my work. Until this journey I had attached no value to a 
skin after the life which gave it lustre had departed: in- 
deed, the sight of one gave me more pain than pleasure. 
Portions of my collections of skins I sent to my friends in 
Europe at different times, and in this manner I parted with 
those of some newly discovered species before I had named 
them, so careless have I hitherto been respecting “priority.” 
While forming my collection, I have often been pleased to 
find that many species, which, twenty-five years ago, were 
scarce and rarely to be met with, are now comparatively 
abundant ;—a circumstance which I attribute to the increase 
of cultivated land in the United States. I need scarcely 
add, that the specimens here alluded to have been minutely 
examined, for the purpose of rendering the specific descrip- 
tions as accurate as possible. And here I gladly embrace 


XXXVIII PREFACE 


the opportunity offered of presenting my best thanks to 
Professor Jameson, for the kindness and liberality with 
which he has allowed me the free use of the splendid collec- 
tion of birds in the museum of the University of Edinburgh. 
Of this privilege I have availed myself in comparing speci- 
mens in my own collection with others obtained both in the 
United States and in other parts of the world. 

Ever anxious to please you, and lay before you the best 
efforts of my pencil, I carefully examined all my unpub- 
lished drawings before I departed from England, and since 
then I have made fresh representations of more than a hun- 
dred objects, which had been painted twenty years or more 
previously. On my latter rambles I have not only pro- 
cured species not known before, but have also succeeded in 
obtaining some of those of which Bonaparte and Wilson had 
met with single specimens only. While in the Floridas and 
Carolinas, my opportunities of determining the numerous 
species of Herons, Ibises, Pigeons, &c., were ample, for 
I lived among them, and carefully studied their habits. 
One motive for my journey to Labrador was to ascertain the 
summer plumage and mode of breeding of the Water Birds, 
which in spring retire thither for the purpose of rearing 
their young in security, far remote from the haunts of man. 
Besides accomplishing this object, I also met there with a 
few species hitherto undescribed. 

It has been said by some, that my work on the Birds of 
America would not terminate until I had added to those of 
the United States, the numerous species of the southern por- 
tion of our continent. Allow me, reader, to refer you in 
refutation of this assertion to my prospectus, in which it 
is stated that my work will be completed in four volumes. 
In whatever other enterprise I may engage, rely upon it I 
will adhere to my original design in this; and the only 
change will be, that the period of publication will be short- 
ened, and that there will be added landscapes and views, 
which were not promised in the prospectus. 


PREFACE XXxX1x 


From my original intention of publishing all the Land 
Birds first, I have been induced to deviate, in consequence 
of letters from my patrons, requesting that, after the con- 
clusion of the second volume, the Water Birds may im- 
mediately appear. Indeed, the various opinions which my 
subscribers occasionally express, are not a little perplexing 
to the “American Woodsman,” ever desirous to please all, 
and to adhere to the method proposed at the commence- 
ment of the work. In the fourth and last volume, after the 
Water Birds, will be represented all that remain unpub- 
lished, or that may in the mean time be discovered, of the 
Land Birds. As I cannot, in the fourth volume, proportion 
the plates in the same manner as in the other three, the 
number of large drawings will be much greater in it; but 
the numbers will still consist of five plates, and I trust my 
patrons will find the same careful delineation as before, 
with more perfect engraving and colouring. ‘These last 
numbers will of course be much more expensive to me than 
those in which three of the plates were small. The fourth 
volume will conclude with representations of the eggs of 
the different species. 

You have perhaps observed, or if not, I may be allowed 
to tell you, that in the first volume of my Illustrations, in 
which there are 100 plates, 240 figures of birds are given; 
and that in the second, consisting of the same number of 
plates, there are 244 figures. ‘The number of species not 
described by Wilson, are, in the first volume twenty-one, and 
in the second twenty-four. 

Having had but one object in view since I became ac- 
quainted with my zealous ornithological friend, the Prince 
of Musignano, I have spared no time, no labour, no ex- 
pense, in endeavouring to render my work as perfect as it 
was possible for me and my family to make it. We have 
all laboured at it, and every other occupation has been laid 
aside, that we might present in the best form the Birds of 
America, to the generous individuals who have placed their 


xl - PREFACE 


names on my. subscription list. I shall rejoice if I have in 
any degree advanced the knowledge of so delightful a study 
as that which has occupied the greater part of my life. 

I have spoken to you, kind reader, more than once of my 
family. Allow me to introduce them:—my eldest son, Vic- 
tor Gifford, the younger, John Woodhouse.—Of their nat- 
ural or acquired talents it does not become me to speak; 
but should you some day see the “Quadrupeds of America” 
published by their united efforts, do not forget that a pupil 
of David first gave them lessons in drawing, and that a mem- 
ber of the Bakewell family formed their youthful minds. 

To England I am as much as ever indebted for support 
in my hazardous and most expensive undertaking, and more 
than ever grateful for that assistance without which my 
present publication might, like an uncherished plant, have 
died. While I reflect on the unexpected honours bestowed 
on a stranger through the generous indulgence of her valu- 
able scientific associations, I cannot refrain from express- 
ing my gratitude for the facilities which I have enjoyed 
under the influence which these societies are spreading over 
her hospitable lands, as well as in other countries. I feel 
equally proud and thankful when I have to say that my 
own dear country is affording me a support equal to that 
supplied by Europe. 

Permit me now to say a few words respecting the persons 
engaged about my work. I have much pleasure in telling 
my patrons in Europe and America, that my engraver, Mr. 
Havell, has improved greatly in the execution of the plates, 
and that the numbers of the “Birds of America” have ap- 
peared with a regularity seldom observed in so large a pub- 
lication. For this, praise is due not only to Mr. Havell, but 
also to his assistants, Mr. Blake, Mr. Stewart, and Mr. 
Edington. 

I have in this, as in my preceding volume, followed the 
nomenclature of my much valued friend, Charles Lucian 
Bonaparte, and this I intend to do in those which are to | 


PREFACE xli 


come, excepting always those alterations which I may deem 
absolutely necessary. It is my intention, at the close, to 
present a general table, exhibiting the geographical distri- 
bution of the different species. The order in which the 
plates have been published, precluding the possibility of ar- 
ranging the species in a systematic manner, it has not been 
deemed expedient to enter into the critical remarks as to 
affinity and grouping, which might otherwise have been 
made; but at another period I may offer you my ideas on this 
interesting subject. 


And now, reader, allow me to address my excellent friend 
the Critic. Would that it were in my power to express 
the feelings that ever since he glanced his eye over my pro-' 
ductions, whether brought forth by the pencil or the pen, 
have filled my heart with the deepest gratitude;—that I 
could disclose to him hew exhilarating have been his smiles, 
and how useful have been his hints in the prosecution of my 
enterprise! If he has found reason to bestow his com- 
mendations upon my first volume, I trust he will not find the 
present more defective. Indeed, I can assure him that the 
labour bestowed upon it by me has been much greater, and 
that I have exerted every effort to deserve his approbation. 


JoHN J. AUDUBON. 


EDINBURGH, 
1st December, 1834. } 





AUTHOR’S PREFACE, PART II 


Twn years have now elapsed since the first number of my 
Illustrations of the Birds of America made its appearance. 
At that period I calculated that the engravers would take 
sixteen years in accomplishing their task; and this I an- 
nounced in my prospectus, and talked of to my friends. Of 
the latter not a single individual seemed to have the least 
hope of my success, and several strongly advised me to 
abandon my plans, dispose of my drawings, and return to 
my country. [I listened with attention to all that was urged 
on the subject, and often felt deeply depressed, for I was 
well aware of many of the difficulties to be surmounted, and 
perceived that no small sum of money would be required to 
defray the necessary expenses. Yet never did I seriously 
think of abandoning the cherished object of my hopes. 
When I delivered the first drawings to the engraver, I had 
not a single subscriber. ‘Those who knew me best called 
me rash; some wrote to me that they did not expect to see a 
second fasciculus; and others seemed to anticipate the total 
failure of my enterprise. But my heart was nerved, and my 
reliance on that Power, on whom all must depend, brought 
bright anticipations of success. 

Having made arrangements for meeting the first diffi- 
culties, I turned my attention to the improvement of my 
drawings, and began to collect from the pages of my jour- 
nals the scattered notes which referred to the habits of the 
birds represented by them. I worked early and late, and 
glad I was to perceive that the more I laboured the more I 
improved. I was happy, too, to find, that in general each 
succeeding plate was better than its predecessor, and when 


those who had at first endeavoured to dissuade me from 
xliii 


xliv PREFACE 


undertaking so vast an enterprise, complimented me on my 
more favourable prospects, I could not but feel happy. 
Number after number appeared in regular succession, until 
at the end of four years of anxiety, my engraver, Mr. 
Havell, presented me with the First Volume of the Birds of 
America. 

Convinced, from a careful comparison of the plates, that 
at least there had been no falling off in the execution, I 
looked forward with confidence to the termination of the next 
four years’ labour. 'Time passed on, and I returned from 
the forests and wilds of the western world to congratulate 
my friend Havell, just when the last plate of the second 
volume was finished. 

About that time, a nobleman called upon me with his 
family, and requested me to shew them some of the original 
drawings, which I did with the more pleasure that my 
visitors possessed a knowledge of Ornithology. In the 
course of our conversation, I was asked how long it might be 
until the work should be finished. When I mentioned eight 
years more, the nobleman shrugged his shoulders, and sigh- 
ing, said, “I may not see it finished, but my children will, 
and you may please to add my name to your list of sub- 
scribers.”” The young people exhibited a mingled expres- 
sion of joy and sorrow, and when I with them strove to dispel 
the cloud that seemed to hang over their father’s mind, he 
smiled, bade me be sure to see that the whole work should be 
punctually delivered, and took his leave. 'The solemnity of 
his manner I could not forget for several days; I often 
thought that neither might I see the work completed, but at 
length I exclaimed “my sons may.” And now that another 
volume, both of my Illustrations and of my Biographies is 
finished, my trust in Providence is augmented, and I cannot 
but hope that myself and my family together may be per- 
mitted to see the completion of my labours. 

I have performed no long journey since I last parted from 
you, and therefore I have little of personal history to relate — 


PREFACE xlv 


to you. I have spent the greater part of the interval in 
London and Edinburgh, in both which cities I have contin- 
ued to enjoy a social intercourse with many valued friends. 
In the former, it has been my good fortune to add to the list 
the names of William Yarrell, Esq., Dr. Bell, Dr. Boott, 
Captain James Clark Ross, R. N., and Dr. Richardson. 
From Mr. Yarrell and the two latter gentlemen, both well 
known to you as intrepid and successful travellers, I have 
received much valuable information, as well as precious 
specimens of birds and eggs, collected in the desolate regions 
of the extreme north. My anxiety to compare my speci- 
mens with those of the Zoological Society of London, induced 
me to request permission to do so, which the Council freely 
accorded. For this favour I now present my warm acknowl- 
edgments to the Noble Earl of Derby, the Members of the 
Council, their amiable Secretary Mr. Bennett, and to Mr. 
Gould, who had the kindness to select for me such speci- 
mens as I wanted. My friend Professor Jameson of Edin- 
burgh has been equally kind in allowing me the means of 
comparing specimens. From America I have received some 
valuable information, and many interesting specimens of 
birds and eggs, for which I am indebted to the Rev. John 
Bachman, Dr. Richard Harlan, Dr. George Parkman, Ed- 
ward Harris, Esq. and others. 

The number of new species described in the present vol- 
ume is not great. Among them, however, you will find the 
largest true Heron hitherto discovered in the United States. 
I have corrected some errors committed by authors, and 
have added to our Fauna several species which, although 
described by European writers, had not been observed in 
America. The habits of many species previously unknown 
have also been given in detail. 

Having long ago observed, in works on the Birds of the 
United States, the omission of the females and the different 
appearances produced by the change of season in most water 
birds, I have represented the male accompanied by his mate, 


xlvi PREFACE 


and, in as many instances as possible, the young also. ‘The 
technical descriptions have been given at greater length than 
in the former volumes, with the view of preventing error 
even in comparing dried skins with either the figures or the 
descriptions. I have also given the average measurement of 
the eggs, which I regret I had omitted to do in the other 
volumes; an error which I purpose to atone for by pre- 
senting you, in the last number of my Illustrations, with 
figures of all those which I have collected. 

The figures in the third volume of my Illustrations 
amount to one hundred and eighty-two, and are thus much 
fewer than those in either of the preceding volumes. ‘This, 
however, was rendered necessary by the comparatively large 
size of the originals, the aquatic species of Birds greatly ex- 
ceeding the terrestrial in this respect. Many of them in | 
fact are so large that only a single figure could be given, 
and that not always in so good an attitude as I could have 
wished. For this reason I have sometimes been obliged to 
give the figure of the young in a separate plate; and this I 
shall in a few cases continue to do, in order to correct the 
errors of authors respecting certain species, which I have 
proved to be merely nominal. Still the number contained 
in the three volumes being six hundred and seventy-four, 
there are more than two to each species. 

The engraving and colouring of the plates of this volume 
have generally been considered as much superior even to 
those of the second. Indeed, some of my patrons, both in 
Europe and America, have voluntarily expressed their con- 
viction of the superiority of these plates. ‘This is the more 
gratifying to me, that it proves the unremitted care and 
perseverance of Mr. Havell and his assistants, of whom I 
mention with approbation Messrs. Blake and Edington. 

The Ornithology of the United States may be said to have 
been commenced by Alexander Wilson, whose premature 
death prevented him from completing his labours. It is un- 
necessary for me to say how well he performed the task — 


PREFACE xlvii 


which he had imposed upon himself; for all naturalists, and 
many who do not aspire to the name, acknowledge his great 
merits. But although he succeeded in observing and obtain- 
ing a very great number of our birds, he left for others many 
species which he was unable to procure. These have been 
sought for with eagerness, and not without success, by per- 
sons who have engaged in the pursuit with equal ardour. 
The Prince of Musignano, full of enthusiasm, having his 
judgment matured by long observation, and his mind stored 
with useful learning, collected in our woods and prairies, by 
our great rivers, and along our extended shores, materials 
sufficient for four superb volumes, intended as a continua- 
tion of Wilson’s work. Thomas Nuttall, equally learned 
and enthusiastic, next entered the field. His Manual of 
our Birds contains a mass of useful information, and is for 
the most part excellent. Many others have, in various ways, 
endeavoured to extend our knowledge on this subject; but 
with the exception of Thomas Say, none have published 
their discoveries in a connected form. Dr. Harlan has 
given to the world an excellent account of our Mammalia; 
various works on Mollusca have appeared, and at present 
Dr. Holbrook of Charleston is engaged in publishing an ac- 
count of our Reptiles. 

Along our extended frontiers I have striven to observe and 
gather whatever had escaped the notice of the different 
collectors; and now, kind Reader, to prove to you that if 
not so fortunate as I had wished, I yet have done all that was 
in my power, I present you with a third volume of Ornitho- 
logical Biographies, in which you will find some account of 
about sixty species of Water Birds not included in the works 
of Wilson. These, at one season or other, are to be met with 
along the shores or streams of the United States. Some of 
them are certainly very rare, others remarkable in form and 
habits ; but all, I trust, you will find distinct from each other, 
and not inaccurately described. 

The difficulties which are to be encountered in studying 


xlvili PREFACE 


the habits of our Water Birds are great. He who follows 
the feathered inhabitants of the forest and plains, however 
rough or tangled the paths may be, seldom fails to obtain the 
objects of his pursuit, provided he be possessed of due en- 
thusiasm and perseverance. The Land Bird flits from bush 
to bush, runs before you, and seldom extends its flight be- 
yond the range of your vision. It is very different with the 
Water Bird, which sweeps afar over the wide ocean, hovers 
above the surges, or betakes itself for refuge to the inac- 
cessible rocks on the shore. There, on the smooth sea-beach, 
you see the lively and active Sandpiper; on that rugged 
promontory the Dusky Cormorant; under the dark shade of 
yon cypress the Ibis and Heron; above you in the still air 
floats the Pelican or the Swan; while far over the angry 
billows scour the Fulmar and the Frigate bird. If you en- 
deavour to approach these birds in their haunts, they betake 
themselves to flight, and speed to places where they are 
secure from your intrusion. 

But the scarcer the fruit, the more prized it is; and seldom 
have I experienced greater pleasures than when on the 
Florida Keys, under a burning sun, after pushing my bark 
for miles over a soapy flat, I have striven all day long, tor- 
mented by myriads of insects, to procure a heron new to me, 
and have at length succeeded in my efforts. And then how 
amply are the labours of the naturalist compensated, when, 
after observing the wildest and most distrustful birds, in 
their remote and almost inaccessible breeding places, he re- 
turns from his journeys, and relates his adventures to an 
interested and friendly audience. 

I look forward to the summer of 1838 with an anxious 
hope that I may then be able to present you with the last 
plate of my Illustrations, and the concluding volume of my 
Biographies. ‘To render these volumes as complete as pos- 
sible, I intend to undertake a journey to the southern and 
western limits of the Union, with the view of obtaining a 
more accurate knowledge of the birds of those remote and 


PREFACE : xlix 


scarcely inhabited regions. On this tour I shall be accom- 
panied by my youngest son, while the rest of my family will 
remain in Britain, to direct the progress of my publication. 

In concluding these prefatory remarks, I have to inform 
you that one of the tail-pieces in my second volume, entitled 
**A Moose Hunt,” was communicated to me by my young 
friend Thomas Lincoln of Dennisville in Maine; and that it 
was at his particular request, and much against my wishes, 
that his name was not mentioned at the time. I have now, 
however, judged it proper to make this statement. 

JOHN J. AUDUBON. 
EpiInsurcu, lst December 1835. 





THE OHIO 


To render more pleasant the task which you have imposed 
upon yourself, of following an author through the mazes of 
descriptive ornithology, permit me, kind reader, to relieve 
the tedium which may be apt now and then to come upon 
you, by presenting you with occasional descriptions of the 
scenery and manners of the land which has furnished the 
objects that engage your attention. The natural features 
of that land are not less remarkable than the moral character 
of her inhabitants; and I cannot find a better sub ject with 
which to begin, than one of those magnificent rivers that roll 
the collected waters of her extensive territories to the ocean. 

When my wife, my eldest son (then an infant), and my- 
self were returning from Pennsylvania to Kentucky, we 
found it expedient, the waters being unusually low, to pro- 
vide ourselves with a skiff, to enable us to proceed to our 
abode at Henderson. I purchased a large, commodious, 
and light boat of that denomination. We procured a mat- 
tress, and our friends furnished us with ready prepared 
viands. We had two stout Negro rowers, and in this trim 
we left the village of Shippingport, in expectation of reach- 
ing the place of our destination in a very few days. 

It was in the month of October. The autumnal tints al- 
ready decorated the shores of that queen of rivers, the Ohio. 
Every tree was hung with long and flowing festoons of dif- 
ferent species of vines, many loaded with clustered fruits of 
varied brilliancy, their rich bronzed carmine mingling beau- 
tifully with the yellow foliage, which now predominated over 
the yet green leaves, reflecting more lively tints from the 
clear stream than ever landscape painter portrayed or poet 
imagined. 

1 


2 THE OHIO 


The days were yet warm. ‘The sun had assumed the rich 
and glowing hue, which at that season produces the singular 
phenomenon called there the “Indian Summer.” The moon 
had rather passed the meridian of her grandeur. We glided 
down the river, meeting no other ripple of the water than 
that formed by the propulsion of our boat. Leisurely we 
moved along, gazing all day on the grandeur and beauty 
of the wild scenery around us. 

Now and then, a large cat-fish rose to the surface of the 
water in pursuit of a shoal of fry, which starting simultane- 
ously from the liquid element, like so many silvery arrows, 
produced a shower of light, while the pursuer with open jaws 
seized the stragglers, and, with a splash of the tail, disap- 
peared from our view. Other fishes we heard uttering be- 
neath our bark a rumbling noise, the strange sounds of which 
we discovered to proceed from the white perch, for on casting 
our net from the bow we caught several of that species, when 
the noise ceased for a time. 

Nature, in her varied arrangements, seems to have felt a 
partiality towards this portion of our country. As the 
traveller ascends or descends the Ohio, he cannot help re- 
marking that alternately, nearly the whole length of the 
river, the margin, on one side, is bounded by lofty hills and 
a rolling surface, while on the other, extensive plains of the 
richest alluvial land are seen as far as the eye can command 
the view. Islands of varied size and form rise here and 
there from the bosom of the water, and the winding course 
of the stream frequently brings you to places, where the idea 
of being on a river of great length changes to that of floating 
on a lake of moderate extent. Some of these islands are of 
considerable size and value; while others, small and insig- 
nificant, seem as if intended for contrast, and as serving to 
enhance the general interest of the scenery. These little 
islands are frequently overflowed during great freshets or 
floods, and receive at their heads prodigious heaps of drifted 
timber. We foresaw with great concern the alteration that 


THE OHIO 3 


cultivation would soon produce along those delightful banks. 

As night came, sinking in darkness the broader portions 
of the river, our minds became affected by strong emotions, 
and wandered far beyond the present moments. The 
tinkling of bells told us that the cattle which bore them were 
gently roving from valley to valley in search of food, or re- 
turning to their distant homes. The hooting of the Great 
Owl, or the muffled noise of its wings as it sailed smoothly 
over the stream, were matters of interest to us; so was the 
sound of the boatman’s horn, as it came winding more and 
more softly from afar. When daylight returned, many 
songsters burst forth with echoing notes, more and more 
mellow to the listening ear. Here and there the lonely 
cabin of a squatter struck the eye, giving note of com- 
mencing civilization. The crossing of the stream by a 
deer foretold how soon the hills would be covered with snow. 

Many sluggish flat-boats we overtook and passed: some 
laden with produce from the different head-waters of the 
small rivers that pour their tributary streams into the Ohio; 
others, of less dimensions, crowded with emigrants from 
distant parts, in search of a new home. fPurer pleasures I 
never felt; nor have you, reader, I ween, unless indeed you 
have felt the like, and in such company. 

The margins of the shores and of the river were at this 
season amply supplied with game. A Wild Turkey, a 
Grouse, or a Blue-winged Teal, could be procured in a few 
moments; and we fared well, for, whenever we pleased, we 
landed, struck up a fire, and provided as we were with the 
necessary utensils, procured a good repast. 

Several of these happy days passed, and we neared our 
home, when, one evening, not far from Pigeon Creek (a 
small stream which runs into the Ohio, from the State of 
Indiana), a loud and strange noise was heard, so like the 
yells of Indian warfare, that we pulled at our oars, and made 
for the opposite side as fast and as quietly as possible. 
The sounds increased, we imagined we heard cries of “mur- 


A THE OHIO 


der;” and as we knew that some depredations had lately 
been committed in the country by dissatisfied parties of Ab- 
origines, we felt for a while extremely uncomfortable. Ere 
long, however, our minds became more calmed and we plainly 
discovered that the singular uproar was produced by an 
enthusiastic set of Methodists, who had wandered thus far 
out of the common way, for the purpose of holding one of 
their annual camp meetings, under the shade of a beech 
forest. Without meeting with any other interruption, we 
reached Henderson, distant from Shippingport by water 
about two hundred miles. 

When I think of these times, and call back to my mind the 
grandeur and beauty of those almost uninhabited shores; 
when I picture to myself the dense and lofty summits of the 
forest, that everywhere spread along the hills, and overhung 
the margins of the stream, unmolested by the axe of the set- 
tler; when I know how dearly purchased the safe navigation 
of that river has been by the blood of many worthy Vir- 
ginians; when I see that no longer any Aborigines are to be 
found there, and that the vast herds of elks, deer and buf- 
faloes which once pastured on these hills and in these valleys, 
making for themselves great roads to the several salt- 
springs, have ceased to exist; when I reflect that all this 
grand portion of our Union, instead of being in a state of 
nature, is now more or less covered with villages, farms, and 
towns, where the din of hammers and machinery is constantly 
heard; that the woods are fast disappearing under the axe 
by day, and the fire by night; that hundreds of steam-boats 
are gliding to and fro, over the whole length of the majestic 
river, forcing commerce to take root and to prosper at every 
spot; when I see the surplus population of Europe coming to 
assist in the destruction of the forest, and transplanting civ- 
ilization into its darkest recesses;—-when I remember that 
these extraordinary changes have all taken place in the short 
period of twenty years, I pause, wonder, and, although I 
know all to be fact, can scarcely believe its reality. 


THE OHIO 5 


Whether these changes are for the better or for the worse, 
I shall not pretend to say; but in whatever way my conclu- 
sions may incline, I feel with regret that there are on record 
no satisfactory accounts of the state of that portion of the 
country, from the time when our people first settled in it. 
This has not been because no one in America is able to ac- 
complish such an undertaking. Our Irvings and our 
Coopers have proved themselves fully competent for the task. 
It has more probably been because the changes have suc- 
ceeded each other with such rapidity, as almost to rival the 
movements of their pen. However, it is not too late yet; 
and I sincerely hope that either or both of them will ere long 
furnish the generations to come with those delightful 
descriptions which they are so well qualified to give, of the 
original state of a country that has been so rapidly forced 
to change her form and attire under the influence of increas- 
ing population. Yes; I hope to read, ere I close my earthly 
career, accounts from those delightful writers of the prog- 
ress of civilization in our western country. They will speak 
of the Clarks, the Croghans, the Boons, and many other men 
of great and daring enterprise. They will analyze, as it 
were, into each component part, the country as it once ex- 
isted, and will render the picture, as it ought to be, immortal. 


THE GREAT PINE SWAMP 


I wert Philadelphia, at four in the morning, by the coach, 
with no other accoutrements than I knew to be absolutely 
necessary for the jaunt which I intended to make. These 
consisted of a wooden box, containing a small stock of linen, 
drawing paper, my journal, colours and pencils, together 
with 25 pounds of shot, some flints, the due quantum of 
cash, my gun T'car-jacket, and a heart as true to nature as 
ever. 

Our coaches are none of the best, nor do they move with 
_the velocity of those of some other countries. It was eight, 
and a dark night, when I reached Mauch Chunk, now so 
celebrated in the Union for its rich coal mines, and eighty- 
eight miles distant from Philadelphia. I had passed 
through a very diversified country, part of which was highly 
cultivated, while the rest was yet in a state of nature, and 
consequently much more agreeable to me. On alighting, I 
was shewn to the traveller’s room and on asking for the land- 
lord saw coming towards me a fine-looking young man, to 
whom I made known my wishes. He spoke kindly, and of- 
fered to lodge and board me at a much lower rate than trav- 
ellers who go there for the very simple pleasure of being 
dragged on the railway. In a word, I was fixed in four 
minutes, and that most comfortably. 

No sooner had the approach of day been announced by 
the cocks of the little village, than I marched out with my 
gun and note-book, to judge for myself of the wealth of the 
country. After traversing much ground, and crossing 
many steep hills, I returned, if not wearied, at least much 
disappointed at the extraordinary scarcity of birds. So I 


bargained to be carried in a cart to the central parts of the 
6 


THE GREAT PINE SWAMP i 


Great Pine Swamp, and, although a heavy storm was rising, 
ordered my conductor to proceed. We winded round many 
a mountain, and at last crossed the highest. The weather 
had become tremendous, and we were thoroughly drenched, 
but my resolution being fixed, the boy was. obliged to con- 
tinue his driving. Having already travelled about fifteen 
miles or so, we left the turnpike, and struck up a narrow and 
bad road, that seemed merely cut out to enable the people 
of the Swamp to receive the necessary supplies from the 
village which I had left. Some mistakes were made, and it 
was almost dark, when a post directed us to the habitation of 
a Mr. Jediah Irish, to whom I had been recommended. We 
now rattled down a steep declivity, edged on one side by al- 
most perpendicular rocks, and on the other by a noisy 
stream, which seemed grumbling at the approach of 
strangers. ‘The ground was so overgrown by laurels and 
tall pines of different kinds, that the whole presented only a 
mass of darkness. 

At length we got to the house, the door of which was al- 
ready opened, the sight of strangers being nothing uncom- 
mon in our woods, even in the most remote parts. On enter- 
ing, I was presented with a chair, while my conductor was 
shewn the way to the stable, and on expressing a wish that I 
should be permitted to remain in the house for some weeks, 
I was gratified by receiving the sanction of the good woman 
to my proposal, although her husband was then from home. 
As I immediately fell a-talking about the nature of the 
country, and inquired if birds were numerous in the neigh- 
bourhood, Mrs. Irish, more au fait to household affairs than 
ornithology, sent for a nephew of her husband’s, who soon 
made his appearance, and in whose favour I became at once 
prepossessed. He conversed like an educated person, saw 
that I was comfortably disposed of, and finally bade me 
good-night in such a tone as made me quite happy. 

The storm had rolled away before the first beams of the 
morning sun shone brightly on the wet foliage, displaying 


8 THE GREAT PINE SWAMP 


all its richness and beauty. My ears were greeted by the 
notes, always sweet and mellow, of the Wood Thrush and 
other songsters. Before I had gone many steps, the woods 
echoed to the report of my gun, and I picked from among 
the leaves a lovely Sylvia, long sought for, but until then 
sought for in vain. I needed no more, and standing still 
for awhile, I was soon convinced that the Great Pine Swamp 
harboured many other objects as valuable to me. | 

The young man joined me, bearing his rifle, and offered 
to accompany me through the woods, all of which he well 
knew. But I was anxious to transfer to paper the form and 
beauty of the little bird I had in my hand; and requesting 
him to break a twig of blooming laurel, we returned to the 
house, speaking of nothing else than the picturesque beauty 
of the country around. 

A few days passed, during which I became acquainted 
with my hostess and her sweet children, and made occasional 
rambles, but spent the greater portion of my time in draw- 
ing. One morning, as I stood near the window of my room, 
I remarked a tall and powerful man alight from his horse, 
loose the girth of the saddle, raise the latter with one hand, 
pass the bridle over the head of the animal with the other, 
and move towards the house, while the horse betook himself 
to the little brook to drink. I heard some movements in the 
room below, and again the same tall person walked towards 
the mills and stores, a few hundred yards from the house. 
In America, business is the first object in view at all times, 
and right it is that 1t should be so. Soon after my hostess 
entered my room, accompanied by a fine-looking wocdsman, 
to whom, as Mr. Jediah Irish, I was introduced. Reader, 
to describe to you the qualities of that excellent man were 
vain; you should know him, as I do, to estimate the value of 
such men in our sequestered forests. He not only made me 
welcome, but promised all his assistance in forwarding my 
views. 

The long walks and long talks we have had together I 


THE GREAT PINE SWAMP 9 


never can forget, or the many beautiful birds which we pur- 
sued, shot, and admired. The juicy venison, excellent bear 
flesh, and delightful trout that daily formed my food, me- 
thinks I can still enjoy. And then, what pleasure I had in 
listening to him as he read his favourite Poems of Burns, 
while my pencil was occupied in smoothing and softening 
the drawing of the bird before me! Was not this enough to 
recall to my mind the early impressions that had been made 
upon it by the description of the golden age, which I here 
found realized? 

The Lehigh about this place forms numerous short turns 
between the mountains, and affords frequent falls, as well as 
below the falls deep pools, which render this stream a most 
valuable one for mills of any kind. Not many years before 
this date, my host was chosen by the agent of the Lehigh 
Coal company, as their mill-wright, and manager for cutting 
down the fine trees which covered the mountains around. 
He was young, robust, active, industrious, and persevering. 
He marched to the spot where his abode now is, with some 
workmen, and by dint of hard labour first cleared the road 
mentioned above, and reached the river at the centre of a 
bend, where he fixed on erecting various mills. ‘The pass 
here is so narrow that it looks as if formed by the bursting 
asunder of the mountain, both sides ascending abruptly, 
so that the place where the settlement was made 1s in many 
parts difficult of access, and the road then newly cut was only 
sufficient to permit men and horses to come to the spot where 
Jediah and his men were at work. So great, in fact, were 
the difficulties of access, that, as he told me, pointing to a 
spot about 150 feet above us, they for many months slipped 
from it their barrelled provisions, assisted by ropes, to their 
camp below. But no sooner was the first saw-mill erected, 
than the axemen began their devastations. Trees one after 
another were, and are yet, constantly heard falling, during 
the days; and in calm nights, the greedy mills told the sad 
tale, that in a century the noble forests around should exist 


10 THE GREAT PINE SWAMP 


no more. Many mills were erected, many dams raised, in 
defiance of the impetuous Lehigh. One full third of the 
trees have already been culled, turned into boards, and 
floated as far as Philadelphia. 

In such an undertaking, the cutting of the trees is not all. 
They have afterwards to be hauled to the edge of the moun- 
tains bordering the river, launched into the stream, and led 
to the mills over many shallows and difficult places. Whilst 
I was in the Great Pine Swamp, I frequently visited one of 
the principal places for the launching of logs. To see them 
tumbling from such a height, touching here and there the 
rough angle of a projecting rock, bouncing from it with 
the elasticity of a foot-ball, and at last falling with awful 
crash into the river, forms a sight interesting in the highest 
degree, but impossible for me to describe. Shall I tell you 
that I have seen masses of these logs heaped above each other 
to the number of five thousand? I may so tell you, for such 
I have seen. My friend Irish assured me that at some sea- 
sons, these piles consisted of a much greater number, the 
river becoming in those places completely choked up. 

When freshets (or floods) take place, then is the time 
chosen for forwarding the logs to the different mills. This 
is called a Frolic. Jediah Irish, who is generally the leader, 
proceeds to the upper leap with his men, each provided with 
a, strong wooden handspike, and a short-handled axe. ‘They 
all take to the water, be it summer or winter, like so many 
Newfoundland spaniels. The logs are gradually detached, 
and, after a time, are seen floating down the dancing stream, 
here striking against a rock and whirling many times round, 
there suddenly checked in dozens by a shallow, over which 
they have to be forced with the handspikes. Now they ar- 
rive at the edge of a dam, and are again pushed over. Cer- 
tain numbers are left in each dam, and when the party has 
arrived at the last, which lies just where my friend Irish’s 
camp was first formed, the drenched leader and his men, 


THE GREAT PINE SWAMP ll 


about sixty in number, make their way home, find there a 
healthful repast, and spend the evening and a portion of the 
night in dancing and frolicking, in their own simple man- 
ner, in the most perfect amity, seldom troubling themselves 
with the idea of the labour prepared for them on the morrow. 

That morrow now come, one sounds a horn from the door 
of the store-house, at the call of which each returns to his 
work. ‘The sawyers, the millers, the rafters and raftsmen 
are all immediately busy. The mills are all going, and the 
logs, which a few months before were the supporters of broad 
and leafy tops, are now in the act of being split asunder. 
The boards are then launched into the stream, and rafts are 
formed of them for market. 

During the summer and autumnal months, the Lehigh, a 
small river of itself, soon becomes extremely shallow, and 
to float the rafts would prove impossible, had not art man- 
aged to provide a supply of water for this express purpose. 
At the breast of the lower dam is a curiously constructed 
lock, which is opened at the approach of the rafts. They 
pass through this lock with the rapidity of lightning, pro- 
pelled by the water that had been accumulated in the dam, 
and which is of itself generally sufficient to float them to 
Mauch Chunk, after which, entering regular canals, they 
find no other impediments, but are conveyed to their ulti- 
mate destination. 

Before population had greatly advanced in this part of 
Pennsylvania, game of all descriptions found within that 
range was extremely abundant. ‘The Elk itself did not dis- 
dain to browse on the shoulders of the mountains, near the 
Lehigh. Bears and the Common Deer must have been plen- 
tiful, as, at the moment when I write, many of both kinds are 
seen and killed by the resident hunters. ‘The Wild Turkey, 
the Pheasant and the Grouse, are also tolerably abundant; 
and as to trout in the streams—Ah, reader, if you are an 
angler, go there, and try for yourself. For my part, I can 


12 THE GREAT PINE SWAMP 


only say, that I have been made weary with pulling up from 
the rivulets the sparkling fish, allured by the struggles of 
the common grasshopper. 

A comical affair happened with the bears, which I will 
relate. A party of my friend Irish’s raftsmen, returning 
from Mauch Chunk, one afternoon, through sundry short 
cuts over the mountains, at the season when the huckle- 
berries are ripe and plentiful, were suddenly apprised of 
the proximity of some of these animals, by their snuffing the 
air. No sooner was this perceived than, to the astonishment 
of the party, not fewer than eight bears, I was told, made 
their appearance. Each man, being provided with his short- 
handled axe, faced about and willingly came to the scratch; 
but the assailed soon proved the assailants, and with claw 
and tooth drove off the men in a twinkling. Down they all 
rushed from the mountain; the noise spread quickly; 
rifles were soon procured and shouldered; but when the 
spot was reached, no bears were to be found; night forced 
the hunters back to their homes, and a laugh concluded the 
affair. 

I spent six weeks in the Great Pine Forest—Swamp it 
cannot be called—where I made many a drawing. Wishing 
to leave Pennsylvania, and to follow the migratory flocks of 
our birds to the south, I bade adieu to the excellent wife and 
rosy children of my friend, and to his kind nephew. Jediah 
Irish, shouldering his heavy rifle, accompanied me, and 
trudging directly across the mountains, we arrived at Mauch 
Churk in good time for dinner. Shall I ever have the 
pleasure of seeing that good, that generous man again? 

At Mauch Chunk, where we both spent the night, Mr. 
White, the civil engineer, visited me, and looked at the draw- 
ings which I had made in the Great Pine Forest. ‘The news 
he gave me of my sons, then in Kentucky, made me still more 
anxious to move in their direction, and, long before day- 
break, I shook hands with the good man of the forest, and 
found myself moving towards the capital of Pennsylvania, 


THE GREAT PINE SWAMP 13 


having as my sole companion a sharp frosty breeze. Left 
to my thoughts, I felt amazed that such a place as the Great 
Pine Forest should be so little known to the Philadelphians, 
scarcely any of whom could direct me towards it. How 
much is it to be regretted, thought I, that the many young 
gentlemen who are there so much at a loss how to employ 
their leisure days should not visit these wild retreats, valu- 
able as they are to the student of nature. How differently 
would they feel, if, instead of spending weeks in smoothing a 
useless bow, and walking out in full dress, intent on display- 
ing the make of their legs, to some rendezvous where they 
may enjoy their wines, they were to occupy themselves in. 
contemplating the rich profusion which nature has poured 
around them, or even in procuring some desired specimen for 
their Peale’s Museum, once so valuable and so finely ar- 
ranged? But alas! no: they are none of them aware of the 
richness of the Great Pine Swamp, nor are they likely to 
share the hospitality to be found there. 

Night came on, as I was thinking of such things, and I 
was turned out of the coach in the streets of the fair city, 
just as the clock struck ten. I cannot say that my bones 
were much rested, but not a moment was to be lost. Sol 
desired a porter to take up my little luggage, and leading 
him towards the nearest wharf, I found myself soon after 
gliding across the Delaware, towards my former lodgings in 
the Jerseys. The lights were shining from the parallel 
streets as I crossed them, all was tranquil and serene, until 
there came the increasing sound of the Baltimore steamer, 
which, for some reason unknown to me, was that evening 
later than usual in its arrival. My luggage was landed, and 
carried home by means of a bribe. ‘The people had all re- 
tired to rest, but my voice was instantly recognised, and an 
entrance was afforded to me. 


THE PRAIRIE 


On my return from the Upper Mississippi, I found myself 
obliged to cross one of the wide Prairies, which, in that por- 
tion of the United States vary the appearance of the coun- 
try. The weather was fine, all around me was as fresh and 
blooming as if it had just issued from the bosom of nature. 
My knapsack, my gun, and my dog, were all I had for bag- 
gage and company. But, although well moccasined, I 
moved slowly along, attracted by the brilliancy of the flow- 
ers, and the gambols of the fawns around their dams, to all 
appearance as thoughtless of danger as I felt myself. 

My march was of long duration; I saw the sun sinking 
beneath the horizon long before I could perceive any appear- 
ance of woodland, and nothing in the shape of man had I 
met with that day. The track which I followed was only an 
old Indian trace, and as darkness overshadowed the prairie, 
I felt some desire to reach at least a copse, in which I might 
lie down to rest. The Night-hawks were skimming over and 
around me, attracted by the buzzing wings of the beetles 
which form their food, and the distant howling of wolves 
gave me some hope that I should soon arrive at the skirts of 
some woodland. 

I did so, and almost at the same instant a fire-lght at- 
tracting my eye, I moved towards it, full of confidence that 
it proceeded from the camp of some wandering Indians. I 
was mistaken:—I discovered by its glare that it was from 
the hearth of a small log cabin, and that a tall figure passed 
and repassed between it and me, as if busily engaged in 
household arrangements. 

I reached the spot, and presenting myself at the door, 


asked the tall figure, which proved to be a woman, if I might 
14 


THE PRAIRIE 15 
take shelter under her roof for the night. Her voice was 
gruff, and her attire negligently thrown about her. She 
answered in the affirmative. I walked in, took a wooden 
stool, and quietly seated myself by the fire. The next object 
that attracted my notice was a finely formed young Indian, 
resting his head between his hands, with his elbows on his 
knees. A long bow rested against the log wall near him, 
while a quantity of arrows and two or three raccoon skins lay 
at his feet. He moved not; he apparently breathed not. 
Accustomed to the habits of the Indians, and knowing that 
they pay little attention to the approach of civilized 
strangers (a circumstance which in some countries is con- 
sidered as evincing the apathy of their character), I ad- 
dressed him in French, a language not unfrequently 
partially known to the people in that neighborhood. He 
raised his head, pointed to one of his eyes with his finger, 
and gave me a significant glance with the other. His face 
was covered with blood. The fact was, that an hour before 
this, as he was in the act of discharging an arrow at a rac- 
coon in the top of a tree, the arrow had split upon the cord, 
and sprung back with such violence into his right eye as to 
destroy it for ever. 

Feeling hungry, I inquired what sort of fare I might ex- 
pect. Such a thing as a bed was not to be seen, but many 
large untanned bear and buffalo hides lay piled in a corner. 
I drew a fine time-piece from my breast, and told the woman 
that it was late, and that I was fatigued. She had espyed 
my watch, the richness of which seemed to operate upon her 
feelings with electric quickness. She told me that there was 
plenty of venison and jerked buffalo meat, and that on re- 
moving the ashes I should find a cake. But my watch had 
struck her fancy, and her curiosity had to be gratified by 
an immediate sight of it. I took off the gold chain that 
secured it from around my neck, and presented it to her. 
She was all ecstasy, spoke of its beauty, asked me its value, 
and put the chain round her brawny neck, saying how happy 


16 THE PRAIRIE 


the possession of such a watch should make her. Thought- 
less, and, as I fancied myself, in so retired a spot, secure, I 
paid little attention to her talk or her movements. I helped 
my dog to a good supper of venison, and was not long in 
satisfying the demands of my own appetite. 

The Indian rose from his seat, as if in extreme suffering. 
He passed and repassed me several times, and once pinched 
me on the side so violently, that the pain nearly brought 
forth an exclamation of anger. I looked at him. His eye 
met mine; but his look was so forbidding, that it struck a 
chill into the more nervous part of my system. He again 
seated himself, drew his butcher-knife from its greasy scab- 
bard, examined its edge, as I would do that of a razor sus- 
pected dull, replaced it, and again taking his tomahawk 
from his back, filled the pipe of it with tobacco, and sent me 
expressive glances whenever our hostess chanced to have her 
back towards us. 

Never until that moment had my senses been awakened to 
the danger which I now suspected to be about me. I re- 
turned glance for glance to my companion, and rested well 
assured that, whatever enemies I might have, he was not of 
their number. 

I asked the woman for my watch, wound it up, and under 
pretence of wishing to see how the weather might probably 
on the morrow, took up my gun, and walked out of the cabin. 
I slipped a ball into each barrel, scraped the edges of my 
flints, renewed the primings, and returning to the hut, gave 
a favourable account of my observations. I took a few bear- 
skins, made a pallet of them, and calling my faithful dog to 
my side, lay down, with my gun close to my body, and in a 
few minutes was, to all appearance, fast asleep. 

A short time had elapsed, when some voices were heard, 
and from the corner of my eyes I saw two athletic youths 
making their entrance, bearing a dead stag on a pole. They 
disposed of their burden, and asking for whisky, helped 
themselves freely to it. Observing me and the wounded 


THE PRAIRIE 17 


Indian, they asked who I was, and why the devil that rascal 
(meaning the Indian, who, they knew, understood not a 
word of English) was in the house. The mother—for so she 
proved to be, bade them speak less loudly, made mention of 
my watch, and took them to a corner, where a conversation 
took place, the purport of which it required little shrewdness 
in me to guess. I tapped my dog gently. He moved his 
tail, and with indescribable pleasure I saw his fine eyes al- 
ternately fixed on me and raised towards the trio in the 
corner. I felt that he perceived danger in my situation. 
The Indian exchanged a last glance with me. 

The lads had eaten and drunk themselves into such condi- 
tion, that I already looked upon them as hors de combat; 
and the frequent visits of the whisky bottle to the ugly mouth 
of their dam I hoped would soon reduce her to a like state. 
Judge of my astonishment, reader, when I saw this incarnate 
fiend take a large carving-knife, and go to the grindstone to 
whet its edge. I saw her pour the water on the turning 
machine, and watched her working away with the dangerous 
instrument, until the sweat covered every part of my body, 
in despite of my determination to defend myself to the last. 
Her task finished, she walked to her reeling sons, and said. 
“There, that’ll soon settle him! Boys, kill yon , and 
then for the watch.” 

I turned, cocked my gun-locks silently, touched my faith- 
ful companion, and lay ready to start up and shoot the first 
who might attempt my life. The moment was fast ap- 
proaching, and that night might have been my last in this 
world, had not Providence made preparations for my rescue. 
All was ready. ‘The infernal hag was advancing slowly, 
probably contemplating the best way of despatching me, 
whilst her sons should be engaged with the Indian. I was 
several times on the eve of rising and shooting her on the 
spot :—but she was not to be punished thus. The door was 
suddenly opened, and there entered two stout travellers, each 
with a long rifle on his shoulder. I bounced up on my feet, 





18 THE PRAIRIE 


and making them most heartily welcome, told them how well 
it was for me that they should have arrived at that moment. 
The tale was told in a minute. The drunken sons were 
secured, and the woman, in spite of her defence and vocifera- 
tions, shared the same fate. The Indian fairly danced with 
joy, and gave us to understand that, as he could not sleep 
for pain, he would watch over us. You may suppose we 
slept much less than we talked. The two strangers gave 
me an account of their once having been themselves in a 
somewhat similar situation. Day came, fair and rosy, and 
with it the punishment of our captives. 

They were now quite sobered. ‘Their feet were unbound, 
but their arms were still securely tied. We marched them 
into the woods off the rcad, and having used them as Regu- 
lators were wont to use such delinquents, we set fire to the 
cabin, gave all the skins and implements to the young Indian 
warrior, and proceeded, well pleased, towards the settlements. 

During upwards of twenty-five years, when my wander- 
ings extended to all parts of our country, this was the only 
time at which my life was in danger from my fellow creatures. 
Indeed, so little risk do travellers run in the United States, 
that no one born there ever dreams of any to be encountered 
on the road; and I can only account for this occurrence 
by supposing that the inhabitants of the cabin were not 
Americans. 

Will you believe, reader, that not many miles from the 
place where this adventure happened, and where fifteen 
years ago, no habitation belonging to civilized man was ex- 
pected, and very few ever seen, large roads are now laid out, 
cultivation has converted the woods into fertile fields, taverns 
have been erected, and much of what we Americans call com- 
fort is to be met with. So fast does improvement proceed 
in our abundant and free country. | 


THE REGULATORS 


THE population of many parts of America is derived from 
the refuse of every other country. I hope I shall elsewhere 
prove that even in this we have reason to feel a certain de- 
gree of pride, as we often see our worst denizens becoming 
gradually freed from error, and at length changing to use- 
ful and respectable citizens. 'The-most depraved of these 
emigrants are forced to retreat farther and farther from the 
society of the virtuous, the restraints imposed by which they 
find incompatible with their habits and the gratification of 
their unbridled passions. On the extreme verge of civiliza- 
tion, however, their evil propensities find more free scope, 
and the dread of punishment for their deeds, or the infliction 
of that punishment, are the only means that prove effectual 
in reforming them. 

In those remote parts, no sooner is it discovered that an 
individual has conducted himself in a notoriously vicious 
manner, or has committed some outrage upon society, than 
a conclave of the honest citizens takes place, for the purpose 
of investigating the case with a rigour without which no good 
result could be expected. ‘These honest citizens, selected 
from among the most respectable persons in the district, and 
vested with powers suited to the necessity of preserving order 
on the frontiers, are named Regulators. 'The accused per- 
son is arrested, his conduct laid open, and if he is found 
guilty of a first crime, he is warned to leave the country, 
and go farther from society, within an appointed time. 
Should the individual prove so callous as to disregard the 
sentence, and remain in the same neighbourhood, to commit 
new crimes, then woe be to him; for the Regulators, after 


proving him guilty a second time, pass and execute a sen- 
19 


20 THE REGULATORS 


tence, which, if not enough to make him perish under the 
infliction, is at least forever impressed upon his memory. 
The punishment inflicted is generally a severe castigation, 
and the destruction, by fire, of his cabin. Sometimes, in 
cases of reiterated theft or murder, death is considered neces- 
sary ; and, in some instances, delinquents of the worst species 
have been shot, after which their heads have been stuck on 
poles, to deter others from following their example. I will 
give you an account of one of these desperadoes as I received 
it from a person who had been instrumental in bringing him 
to punishment. 

The name of Mason is still familiar to many of the navi- 
gators of the Lower Ohio and Mississippi. By dint of in- 
dustry in bad deeds he became a notorious horse-stealer, 
formed a line of worthless associates from the eastern parts 
of Virginia (a State greatly celebrated for its fine breed of 
horses) to New Orleans, and had a settlement on Wolf 
Island, not far from the confluence of the Ohio and Missis- 
sippi, from which he issued to stop the flat-boats, and rifle 
them of such provisions and other articles as he and his party 
needed. His depredations became the talk of the whole 
Western Country; and to pass Wolf Island was not less to 
be dreaded than to anchor under the walls of Algiers. The 
horses, the negroes, and the cargoes, his gang carried off and 
sold. At last, a body of Regulators undertook, at great 
peril, and for the sake of the country, to bring the villian to 
punishment. 

Mason was as cunning and watchful as he was active and 
daring. Many of his haunts were successively found out 
and searched, but the numerous spies in his employ enabled 
him to escape in time. One day, however, as he was riding 
a beautiful horse in the woods, he was met by one of the 
Regulators who immediately recognised him, but passed him 
as if an utter stranger. Mason, not dreaming of danger, 
pursued his way leisurely, as if he had met no one. But he 
was dogged by the Regulator, and in such a manner as 


THE REGULATORS Q1 


proved fatal to him. At dusk, Mason having reached the 
lowest part of a ravine, no doubt well known to him, hoppled 
(tied together the fore-legs of) his stolen horse, to enable 
it to feed during the night without chance of straying far, 
and concealed himself in a hollow log to spend the night. 
The plan was good, but proved his ruin. 

The Regulator, who knew every hill and hollow of the 
woods, marked the place and the log with the eye of an ex- 
perienced hunter, and as he remarked that Mason was most 
efficiently armed, he galloped off to the nearest house, where 
he knew he should find assistance. This was easily procured, 
and the party proceeded to the spot. Mason, on being at- 
tacked, defended himself with desperate valour; and as it 
proved impossible to secure him alive, he was brought to the 
ground with a rifle ball. Huis head was cut off, and stuck 
on the end of a broken branch of a tree, by the nearest road 
to the place where the affray happened. ‘The gang soon 
dispersed, in consequence of the loss of their leader, and this 
infliction of merited punishment proved beneficial in deter- 
ring others from following a similar predatory life. 

The punishment by castigation is performed in the follow- 
ing manner. The individual convicted of an offence is led 
to some remote part of the woods, under the escort of some- 
times forty or fifty Regulators. When arrived at the 
chosen spot, the criminal is made fast to a tree, and a few 
of the Regulators remain with him, whilst the rest scour 
the forest, to assure themselves that no strangers are within 
reach, after which they form an extensive ring, arranging 
themselves on their horses, well armed with rifles and pistols, 
at equal distances and in each other’s sight. At a given 
signal that “all’s ready,” those about the culprit, having 
provided themselves with young twigs of hickory, administer 
the number of lashes prescribed by the sentence, untie the 
sufferer, and order him to leave the country immediately. 

One of these castigations which took place more within my 
immediate knowledge, was performed on a fellow who was 


22 THE REGULATORS 


neither a thief nor a murderer, but who had misbehaved 
otherwise sufficiently to bring himself under the sentence 
with mitigation. He was taken to a place where nettles 
were known to grow in great luxuriance, completely stripped, 
and so lashed with them, that although not materially hurt, 
he took it as a hint not to be neglected, left the country, and 
was never again heard of by any of the party concerned. 

Probably at the moment when I am copying these notes 
respecting the early laws of our frontier people, few or no 
Regulating Parties exist, the terrible examples that were 
made having impressed upon the new settlers a salutary 
dread, which restrains them from the commission of flagrant 
crimes. 


IMPROVEMENTS IN THE NAVIGATION OF 
THE MISSISSIPPI 


I HAvE so frequently spoken of the Mississippi, that an 
account of progress of navigation on that extraordinary 
stream may be interesting even to the student of nature. I 
shall commence with the year 1808, at which time a great 
portion of the western country, and the banks of the Missis- 
sippi River, from above the city of Natchez particularly, 
were little more than a waste, or, to use words better suited 
to my feelings, remained in their natural state. To ascend 
the great stream against a powerful current, rendered still 
stronger wherever islands occurred, together with the thou- 
sands of sand-banks, as liable to changes and shiftings as 
the alluvial shores themselves, which at every deep curve or 
bend were seen giving way, as if crushed down by the weight 
of the great forests that everywhere reached to the very edge 
of the water, and falling and sinking in the muddy stream, 
by acres at a time, was an adventure of no small difficulty 
and risk, and which was rendered more so by the innumer- 
able logs, called sawyers and planters, that everywhere raised 
their heads above the water, as if bidding defiance to all in- 
truders. Few white inhabitants had yet marched towards 
its shores, and these few were of a class little able to assist 
the navigator. Here and there a solitary encampment of 
native Indians might be seen, but its inmates were as likely 
to prove foes as friends, having from their birth been made 
keenly sensible of the encroachments of the white men upon 
their lands. 

Such was then the nature of the Mississippi and its shores. 
That river was navigated principally in the direction of the 


current, in small canoes, pirogues, keel-boats, some flat- 
23 


Q4 NAVIGATION OF MISSISSIPPI 


boats, and a few barges. The canoes and pirogues being 
generally laden with furs from the different heads of streams 
that feed the great river, were of little worth after reach- 
ing the market of New Orleans, and seldom reascended, the 
owners making their way home through the woods, amidst 
innumerable difficulties. The flat-boats were demolished 
and used as fire-wood. The keel-boats and barges were em- 
ployed in conveying produce of different kinds besides furs, 
such as lead, flour, pork, and other articles. These returned 
laden with sugar, coffee, and dry goods suited for the 
markets of St. Genevieve and St. Louis on the Upper Mis- 
sissippi, or branched off and ascended the Ohio to the foot 
of the Falls near Louisville in Kentucky. But, reader, 
follow their movements, and judge for yourself of the fa- 
tigues, troubles and risks of the men employed in that navi- 
gation. <A keel-boat was generally manned by ten hands, 
principally Canadian French, and a patroon or master. 
These boats seldom carried more than from twenty to thirty 
tons. The barges frequently had forty or fifty men, with a 
patroon, and carried fifty or sixty tons. Both these kinds 
of vessels were provided with a mast, a square-sail, and coils 
of cordage, known by the name of cordelles. Each boat or 
barge carried its own provisions. We shall suppose one of 
these boats underway, and, having passed Natchez, entering 
upon what were called the difficulties of their ascent. 
Wherever a point projected, so as to render the course or 
bend below it of some magnitude, there was an eddy, the re- 
turning current of which was sometimes as strong as that 
of the middle of the great stream. The bargemen there- 
fore rowed up pretty close under the bank, and had merely 
to keep watch in the bow, lest the boat should run against 
a planter or sawyer. But the boat has reached the point, 
and there the current is to all appearance of double strength, 
and right against it. The men, who have all rested a few 
minutes, are ordered to take their stations, and lay hold of 
their oars, for the river must be crossed, it being seldom pos- 





NAVIGATION OF MISSISSIPPI Q5 


sible to double such a point and proceed along the same 
shore. ‘The boat is crossing, its head slanting to the cur- 
rent, which is however too strong for the rowers, and when 
the other side of the river has been reached, it has drifted 
perhaps a quarter of a mile. The men are by this time ex- 
hausted, and, as we shall suppose it to be twelve o’clock, 
fasten the boat to the shore or to a tree. A small glass of 
whisky is given to each, when they cook and eat their dinner, 
and after repairing their fatigue by an hour’s repose, recom- 
mence their labours. 'The boat is again seen slowly advanc- 
ing against the stream. It has reached the lower end of a 
large sand-bar, along the edge of which it is propelled by 
means of long poles, if the bottom be hard. ‘Two men called 
bowsmen remain at the prow, to assist, in concert with the 
steers-man, in managing the boat, and keeping its head right 
against the current. The rest place themselves on the land 
side of the footway of the vessel, put one end of their poles 
on the ground, the other against their shoulders, and push 
with all their might. As each of the men reaches the stern, 
he crosses to the other side, runs along it, and comes forward 
again to the landward side of the bow, when he recommences 
operations. ‘The barge in the mean time is ascending at a 
rate not exceeding one mile in the hour. 

‘The bar is at length passed, and as the shore in sight is 
straight on both sides of the river, and the current uniformly 
strong, the poles are laid aside, and the men equally divided, 
_ those on the river side take to their oars, whilst those on the 
land side lay hold of the branches of willows, or other trees, 
and thus slowly propel the boat. Here and there, however, 
the trunk of a fallen tree, partly lying on the bank, and 
partly projecting beyond it, impedes their progress, and re- 
quires to be doubled. This is performed by striking it with 
the iron points of the poles and gaff-hooks. The sun is now 
quite low, and the barge is again secured in the best harbour 
within reach. ‘The navigators cook their supper, and be- 
take themselves to their blankets or bear-skins to rest, or 


26 NAVIGATION OF MISSISSIPPI 


perhaps light a large fire on the shore, under the smoke of 
which they repose, in order to avoid the persecution of the 
myriads of moschettoes which occur during the whole sum- 
mer along the river. Perhaps, from dawn to sunset, the 
boat may have advanced fifteen miles. If so, it has done 
well. The next day, the wind proves favourable, the sail is 
set, the boat takes all advantages, and meeting with no acci- 
dent, has ascended thirty miles, perhaps double that distance. 
The next day comes with a very different aspect. The wind 
is right a-head, the shores are without trees of any kind, 
and the canes on the bank are so thick and stout, that not 
even the cordelles can be used. This occasions a halt. The 
time is not altogether lost, as most of the men, being pro- 
vided with rifles, betake themselves to the woods, and search 
for the deer, the bears, or the turkeys, that are generally 
abundant there. Three days may pass before the wind 
changes, and the advantages gained on the previous fine day 
are forgotten. Again the boat proceeds, but in passing 
over a shallow place runs on a log, swings with the current, 
but hangs fast, with her leaside almost under water. Now 
for the poles! All hands are on deck, bustling and pushing. 
At length towards sunset, the boat is once more afloat, and 
is again taken to the shore, where the wearied crew pass 
another night. 

I shall not continue this account of difficulties, it having 
already become painful in the extreme. I could tell you of 
the crew abandoning the boat and cargo, and of numberless 
accidents and perils; but be it enough to say, that, advanc- 
ing in this tardy manner, the boat that left New Orleans on 
the first of March, often did not reach the Falls of the Ohio 
until the month of July,—nay, sometimes not until October ; 
and after all this immense trouble, it brought only a few 
bags of coffee, and at most 100 hogsheads of sugar. Such 
was the state of things in 1808. ‘The number of barges at 
that period did not amount to more than 25 or 30, and the 
largest probably did not exceed 100 tons burden. ‘To make 





NAVIGATION OF MISSISSIPPI Q7 


the best of this fatiguing navigation, I may conclude by 
saying, that a barge which came up in three months had done 
wonders, for I believe, few voyages were performed in that 
time. ) 

If I am not mistaken, the first steam-boat that went down 
out of the Ohio to New Orleans was named the “Orleans,” 
and if I remember right, was commanded by Captain Ogden. 
This voyage, I believe was performed in the spring of 1810. 
It was, as you may suppose, looked upon as the ne ‘plus ultra 
of enterprise. Soon after, another vessel came from Pitts- 
burg, and before many years elapsed, to see a vessel so pro- 
pelled became a common occurrence. In 1826, after a lapse 
of time that proved sufficient to double the population of 
the United States of America, the navigation of the Missis- 
sippi had so improved both in respect to facility and quick- 
ness, that I know no better way of giving you an idea of it, 
than by presenting you with an extract of a letter from my 
eldest son, which was taken from the books of N. Berthoud, 
Esq. with whom he at that time resided. 


“You ask me in your last letter for a list of the arrivals and de- 
partures here. I give you an abstract from our list of 1826, show- 
ing the number of boats which plied each year, their tonnage, the 
trips which they performed, and the quantity of goods landed here 
from New Orleans and intermediate places. 


“1823, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 42 boats, measuring 7,860 tons. 98 trips. 19,453 tons. 


1824, do. 1 Nov. 25, 36 do. 6,393 do. 118 do. 20,291 do. 
1825, do. 1 Aug. 15, 42 do. 7,484 do, 140 do. 24,102 do. 
1826, do. 1 Dee. 31, 51 do. 9,388 do. 182 do, 28,914 do. 


“The amount for the present year will be much greater than any 
of the above. The number of flat-boats and keels is beyond calcu- 
lation. The number of steam-boats above the Falls I cannot say 
much about, except that one or two arrive at and leave Louisville 
every day. Their passage from Cincinnati is commonly 14 or 16 
hours. The Tecumseh, a boat which runs between this place and 
New Orleans, and which measures 210 tons, arrived here on the 
10th instant, in 9 days 7 hours, from port to port; and the Phila- 


28 NAVIGATION OF MISSISSIPPI 


delphia, of 300 tons, made the passage in 9 days 91% hours, the 
computed distance being 1650 miles. These are the quickest trips 
made. There are now in operation on the waters west of the Al- 
leghany Mountains 140 or 145 boats. We had last spring (1826), 
a very high freshet, which came 414 feet deep in the counting- 
room. The rise was 57 feet 3 inches perpendicular.” 


The whole of the steam-boats of which you have an ac- 
count did not perform voyages to New Orleans only, but to 
all points on the Mississippi, and other rivers which fall 
into it. I am certain that since the above date the number 
has increased, but to what extent I cannot at present say. 

When steam-boats first plied between Shippingport and 
New Orleans, the cabin passage was a hundred dollars, and 
a hundred and fifty dollars on the upward voyage. In 
1829, I went down to Natchez from Shippingport for 
twenty-five dollars, and ascended from New Orleans on board 
the Philadelphia, in the beginning of January 1830, for 
sixty dollars, having taken two state-rooms for my wife and 
myself. On that voyage we met with a trifling accident, 
which protracted it to fourteen days; the computed distance 
being, as mentioned above, 1650 miles, although the real 
distance is probably less. I do not remember to have spent 
a day without meeting with a steam-boat, and some days we 
met several. I might here be tempted to give you a descrip- 
tion of one of these steamers of the western waters, but the 
picture having been often drawn by abler hands, I shall 
desist. 


- 


A FLOOD 


Many of our larger streams, such as the Mississippi, the 
Ohio, the Illinois, the Arkansas and the Red River, exhibit 
at certain seasons the most extensive overflowings of their 
waters, to which the name of floods is more appropriate than 
the term freshets, usually applied to the sudden risings of 
smaller streams. If we consider the vast extent of country 
through which an inland navigation is afforded by the never- 
failing supply of water furnished by these wonderful rivers, 
we cannot suppose them exceeded in magnitude by any other 
in the known world. It will easily be imagined what a won- 
derful spectacle must present itself to the eye of the travel- 
ler, who for the first time views the enormous mass of waters, 
collected from the vast central regions of our continent, 
booming along, turbid and swollen to overflowing, in the 
broad channels of the Mississippi and Ohio, the latter of 
which has a course of more than a thousand miles, and the 
former of several thousands. 

To give you some idea of a Booming Flood of these gi- 
gantic streams, it is necessary to state the causes which give 
rise to it. ‘These are, the sudden melting of the snows on 
the mountains, and heavy rains continued for several weeks. 
When it happens that, during a severe winter, the Alleghany 
Mountains have been covered with snow to the depth of sev- 
eral feet, and the accumulated mass has remained unmelted 
for a length of time, the materials of a flood are thus pre- 
pared. It now and then happens that the winter is hurried 
off by a sudden increase of temperature, when the accumu- 
lated snows melt away simultaneously over the whole coun- 
try, and the south-easterly wind which then usually blows, 


brings along with it a continued fall of heavy rain, which, 
29 


30 A FLOOD 


mingling with the dissolving snow, deluges the alluvial por- 
tions of the western country, filling up the rivulets, ravines, 
creeks, and small rivers. These, delivering their waters to 
the great streams, cause the latter not merely to rise to a 
surprising height, but to overflow their banks, wherever the 
land is low. On such occasions, the Ohio itself presents a 
splendid, and at the same time an appalling spectacle; but 
when its waters mingle with those of the Mississippi, then, 
is the time to view an American flood in all its astonishing 
magnificence. 

At the foot of the Falls of the Ohio, the water has been 
known to rise upwards of sixty feet above its lowest level. 
The river, at this point, has already run a course of nearly 
seven hundred miles, from its origin at Pittsburg, in Penn- 
sylvania, during which it has received the waters of its 
numberless tributaries, and overflowing all the bottom lands 
or valleys, has swept along the fences and dwellings which 
have been unable to resist its violence. I could relate hun- 
dreds of incidents which might prove to you the dreadful 
effects of such an inundation, and which have been witnessed 
by thousands besides myself. I have known, for example, of 
a cow swimming through a window, elevated at least seven 
feet from the ground, and sixty-two feet above low-water 
mark. ‘The house was then surrounded by water from the 
Ohio, which runs in front of it, while the neighbouring coun- 
try was overflowed; but the family did not remove from it, 
but remained in its upper portion, having previously taken 
off the sashes of the lower windows, and opened the doors. 
But let us return to the Mississippi. 

There the overflowing is astonishing ; for no sooner has the 
water reached the upper part of the banks, than it rushes 
out and overspreads the whole of the neighbouring swamps, 
presenting an ocean overgrown with stupendous forest-trees. 
So sudden is the calamity, that every individual, whether 
man or beast, has to exert his utmost ingenuity to enable him 
to escape from the dreaded element. ‘The Indian quickly 


A FLOOD 31 


removes to the hills of the interior; the cattle and game swim 
to the different strips of land that remain uncovered in the 
midst of the flood, or attempt to force their way through the 
waters until they perish from fatigue. Along the banks of 
the river, the inhabitants have rafts ready made, on which 
they remove themselves, their cattle and their provisions, and 
which they then fasten with ropes or grape-vines to the 
larger trees, while they contemplate the melancholy specta- 
cle presented by the current, as it carries off their houses 
and wood-yards piece by piece. Some who have nothing to 
lose, and are usually known by the name of Squatters, take 
this opportunity of traversing the woods in canoes for the 
purpose of procuring game, and particularly the skins of 
animals, such as the deer and bear, which may be converted 
into money. ‘They resort to the low ridges surrounded by 
the waters, and destroy thousands of deer, merely for their 
skins, leaving the flesh to putrefy. 

The river itself, rolling its swollen waters along, presents a 
spectacle of the most imposing nature. Although no large 
vessel, unless propelled by steam, can now make its way 
against the current, it is seen covered by boats, laden with 
produce, which running out from all the smaller streams, 
float silently towards the City of New Orleans, their owners 
meanwhile not very well assured of finding a landing-place 
even there. The water is covered with yellow foam and 
pumice, the latter having floated from the Rocky Mountains 
of the north-west. The eddies are larger and more powerful 
than ever. Here and there tracts of forest are observed un- 
-dermined, the trees gradually giving way, and falling into 
the stream. Cattle, horses, bears and deer are seen at times 
attempting to swim across the impetuous mass of foaming 
and boiling water; whilst here and there a Vulture or an 
Eagle is observed perched on a bloated carcass, tearing it up 
in pieces, as regardless of the flood, as on former occasions 
it would have been of the numerous sawyers and planters, 
with which the surface of the river is covered, when the water 


32 A FLOOD 


is low. Even the steamer is frequently distressed. ‘The 
numberless trees and logs that float along break its paddles 
and retard its progress. Besides, it is on such occasions difhi- 
cult to procure fuel to maintain its fires; and it is only at 
very distant intervals that a wood-yard can be found which 
the water has not carried off. 

Following the river in your canoe, you reach those parts 
of the shores that are protected against the overflowing of 
the waters, and are called Levees. There you find the whole 
population of the district at work repairing and augment- 
ing those artificial barriers, which are several feet above the 
level of the fields. Every person appears to dread the open- 
ing of a crevasse, by which the waters may rush into his 
fields. In spite of all exertions, however, the crevasse opens, 
the water bursts impetuously over the plantations, and lays 
waste the crops which so lately were blooming in all the lux- 
uriance of spring. It opens up a new channel, which, for 
aught I know to the contrary, may carry its waters even to 
the Mexican Gulf. 

I have floated on the Mississippi and Ohio when thus 
swollen, and have in different places visited the submersed 
lands of the interior, propelling a light canoe by the aid of 
a paddle. In this manner I have traversed immense por- 
tions of the country overflowed by the waters of these rivers, 
and, particularly whilst floating over the Mississippi bottom- 
lands, I have been struck with awe at the sight. Little or no 
current is met with, unless when the canoe passes over the 
bed of a bayou. All is silent and melancholy, unless when 
the mournful bleating of the hemmed in Deer reaches your 
ear, or the dismal scream of an Eagle or a Raven is heard, 
as the foul bird rises, disturbed by your approach, from the 
carcass on which it was allaying its craving appetite. 
Bears, Cougars, Lynxes, and all other quadrupeds that can 
ascend the trees, are observed crouched among their top 
branches. Hungry in the midst of abundance, although 


A FLOOD 33 


they see floating around them the animals on which they 
usually prey, they dare not venture to swim to them. 
Fatigued by the exertions which they have made in reaching 
the dry land, they will there stand the hunter’s fire, as if to 
die by a ball were better than to perish amid the waste 
waters. On occasions like this, all these animals are shot 
by hundreds. 

Opposite the City of Natchez, which stands on a bluff of 
considerable elevation, the extent of inundated lands is im- 
mense, the greater portion of the tract lying between the 
Mississippi and the Red River, which is more than thirty 
miles in breadth, being under water. The mail-bag has 
often been carried through the immersed forests, in a canoe, 
for even a greater distance, in order to be forwarded to 
Natchitochez. 

But now, observe this great flood gradually subsiding, and 
again see the mighty changes which it has effected. The 
waters have now been carried into the distant ocean. ‘The 
earth is everywhere covered by a deep deposit of muddy 
loam, which in drying splits into deep and narrow chasms, 
presenting a reticulated appearance, and from which, as 
the weather becomes warmer, disagreeable, and at times noxi- 
ous, exhalations arise, and fill the lower stratum of the 
atmosphere as with a dense fog. The banks of the river 
have almost everywhere been broken down in a greater or 
less degree. Large streams are now found to exist, where 
none were formerly to be seen, having forced their way in 
direct lines from the upper parts of the bends. ‘These are 
by the navigator called short-cuts. Some of them have 
proved large enough to produce a change in the navigation 
of the Mississippi. If I mistake not, one of these, known 
by the name of the Grand Cut-off, and only a few miles in 
length, has diverted the river from its natural course, and 
has shortened it by fifty miles. The upper parts of the 
islands present a bulwark consisting of an enormous mass of 


34 A FLOOD 


floated trees of all kinds, which have lodged there. Large 
sand-banks have been completely removed by the impetuous 
whirls of the waters, and have been deposited in other places. 
Some appear quite new to the eye of the navigator, who has 
to mark their situation and bearings in his log-book. The 
trees on the margins of the banks have in many parts given 
way. ‘They are seen bending over the stream, like the 
grounded arms of an overwhelmed army of giants. Every- 
where are heard the lamentations of the farmer and planter, 
whilst their servants and themselves are busily employed in 
repairing the damages occasioned by the floods. At one 
crevasse an old ship or two, dismantled for the purpose, are 
sunk, to obstruct the passage opened by the still rushing 
waters, while new earth is brought to fill up the chasms. 
The squatter is seen shouldering his rifle, and making his 
way through the morass, in search of his lost stock, to drive 
the survivors home, and save the skins of the drowned. New 
fences have everywhere to be formed; even new houses must 
be erected, to save which from a like disaster, the settler 
places them on an elevated platform supported by pillars 
made of the trunks of trees. The lands must be ploughed 
anew, and if the season is not too far advanced, a crop of 
corn and potatoes may yet be raised. But the rich pros- 
pects of the planter are blasted. ‘The traveller is impeded 
in his journey, the creeks and smaller streams having broken 
up their banks in a degree proportionate to their size. A 
bank of sand, which seems firm and secure, suddenly gives 
way beneath the traveller’s horse, and the next moment the 
animal has sunk in the quicksand, either to the chest in front, 
or over the crupper behind, leaving its master in a situation 
not to be envied. 

Unlike the mountain-torrents and small rivers of other 
parts of the world, the Mississippi rises but slowly during 
these floods, continuing for several weeks to increase at the 
rate of about an inch a day. When at its height, it under- 


A FLOOD 35 


goes little flunctuation for some days, and after this subsides 
as slowly as it rose. The usual duration of a flood is from 
four to six weeks, although, on some occasions, it is pro- 
tracted to two months. 

Every one knows how largely the idea of floods and 
cataclysms enters into the speculations of the geologist. If 
the streamlets of the European Continent afford illustrations 
of the formation of strata, how much more must the Missis- 
sippl, with its ever-shifting sand-banks, its crumbling shores, 
its enormous masses of drift timber, the source of future beds 
of coal, its extensive and varied alluvial deposits, and its 
mighty mass of waters rolling sullenly along, like the flood of 
eternity! 


MEADVILLE 


Tue incidents that occur in the life of a student of nature 
are not all of the agreeable kind, in proof of which, I will 
present an extract from one of my journals. 

My money was one day stolen from me by a person, who 
perhaps imagined that to a naturalist it was of little im- 
portance. This happened on the shores of Upper Canada. 
The affair was as unexpected as it well could be, and as 
adroitly managed as if it had been planned and executed 
in Cheapside. 'To have repined when the thing could not be 
helped, would not have been acting manfully. I therefore 
told my companion to keep a good heart, for I felt satisfied 
that Providence had some relief in store for us. ‘The whole 
amount of cash left with two individuals fifteen hundred 
miles from home, was just seven dollars and a-half. Our 
passage across the lake had fortunately been paid for. We 
embarked and soon got to the entrance of Presque Isle Har- 
bour, but could not pass the bar, on account of a violent gale 
which came on as we approached it. The anchor was 
dropped, and we remained on board during the night, feel- 
ing at times very disagreeable, under the idea of having 
taken so little care of our money. How long we might have 
remained at anchor I cannot tell, had not that Providence, 
on whom I have never ceased to rely, come to our aid. 
Through some means to me quite unknown, Captain Judd 
of the United States Navy, then probably commandant at 
Presque Isle, sent a gig with six men to our relief. It was 
on the 29th of August 1824, and never shall I forget that 
morning. My drawings were put into the boat with the 
greatest care. We shifted into it, and seated ourselves ac- 


cording to directions politely given us. Our brave fellows 
36 


MEADVILLE 37 


pulled hard, and every moment brought us nearer to the 
American shore. I leaped upon it with elated heart. My 
drawings were safely landed, and for any thing else I cared 
little at the moment. I searched in vain for the officer of 
our navy, to whom [ still feel grateful, and gave one of our 
dollars to the sailors to drink the “freedom of the waters ;” 
after which we betook ourselves to a humble inn to procure 
bread and milk, and consider how we were to proceed. 

Our plans were soon settled, for to proceed was decidedly 
the best. Our luggage was rather heavy, so we hired a cart 
to take it to Meadville, for which we offered five dollars. 
This sum was accepted, and we set off. The country 
through which we passed might have proved favourable to 
our pursuits, had it not rained nearly the whole day. At 
night we alighted and put up at a house belonging to our 
conductor’s father. It was Sunday night. The good folks 
had not yet returned from a distant meeting-house, the 
grandmother of our driver being the only individual about 
the premises. We found here a cheerful dame, who be- 
stirred herself as actively as age would permit, got up a 
blazing fire to dry our wet clothes, and put as much bread 
and milk on the table as might have sufficed for several be- 
sides ourselves. | 

Being fatigued by the jolting of the cart, we asked for a 
place in which to rest, and were shown into a room in which 
were several beds. We told the good woman that I should 
paint her portrait next morning for the sake of her children. 
My companion and myself were soon in bed, and soon asleep, 
in which state we should probably have remained till morn- 
ing, had we not been awakened by a light, which we found 
to be carried by three young damsels, who having observed 
where we lay, blew it out, and got into a bed opposite ours. 
As we had not spoken, it is probable the girls supposed us 
sound asleep, and we heard them say how delighted they 
would be to have their portraits taken, as well as that of their 
grandmother. My heart silently met their desire, and we 


38 MEADVILLE 


fell asleep, without farther disturbance. In our back woods 
it is frequently the case that one room suffices for all the 
sleepers of a family. 

Day dawned, and as we were dressing we discovered that 
we were alone in the apartment, the good country girls hav- 
ing dressed in silence and left us before we had awakened. 
We joined the family and were kindly greeted. No sooner 
had I made known my intentions as to the portraits, than the 
young folks disappeared, and soon after returned attired in 
their Sunday clothes. The black chalk was at work in a 
few minutes, to their great delight, and as the fumes of the 
breakfast that was meantime preparing reached my sensitive 
nose, I worked with redoubled ardour. The sketches were 
soon finished, and soon too was the breakfast over. I played 
a few airs on my flageolet, while our guide was putting the 
horses to the cart, and by ten o’clock we were once more un- 
der way towards Meadville. Never shall I forget Maxon 
Randell and his hospitable family. My companion was 
as pleased as myself, and as the weather was now beautiful, 
we enjoyed our journey with all that happy thoughtlessness 
best suited to our character. ‘The country now became covy- 
ered with heavy timber, principally evergreens, the Pines 
and the Cucumber trees loaded with brilliant fruits, and the 
Spruces throwing a shade over the land in good keeping for 
a mellow picture. The lateness of the crops was the only 
disagreeable circumstance that struck us; hay was yet stand- 
ing, probably, however, a second crop; the peaches were 
quite small and green, and a few persons here and there, as 
we passed the different farms, were reaping oats. At length 
we came in sight of French Creek, and soon after reached 
Meadville. Here we paid the five dollars promised to our 
conductor, who instantly faced about, and applying the 
whip to his nags, bade us adieu and set off. 

We had now only a hundred and fifty cents. No time 
was to be lost. We put our baggage and ourselves under the 
roof of a tavern-keeper known by the name of J. E. Smith, 


MEADVILLE 39 


at the sign of the T'raveller’s Rest, and soon after took a 
walk to survey the little village that was to be laid under 
contribution for our further support. Its appearance was 
rather dull, but thanks to God, I have never despaired while 
rambling thus for the sole purpose of admiring his grand 
and beautiful works. I had opened the case that contained 
my drawings, and putting my portfolio under my arm, and 
a few good credentials in my pocket, walked up Main Street, 
looking to the right and left, examining the different heads 
which occurred, until I fixed my eyes on a gentleman in a 
store who looked as if he might want a sketch. I begged 
him to allow me to sitdown. This granted, I remained pur- 
posely silent until he very soon asked me what was “in that 
portfolio.’ 'These three words sounded well, and without 
waiting another instant, I opened it to his view. This was 
a Hollander, who complimented me much on the execution 
of the drawings of birds and flowers in my portfolio. Show- 
ing him a sketch of the best friend I have in the world at 
present, I asked him if he would like one in the same style of 
himself. He not only answered in the affirmative, but as- 
sured me that he would exert himself in procuring as many 
more customers as he could. I thanked him, be assured, 
kind reader; and having fixed upon the next morning for 
drawing the sketch, I returned to the T'raveller’s Rest, with 
a hope that to-morrow might prove propitious. Supper was 
ready, and as in America we have generally but one sort of 
Table @héte, we sat down, when, every individual looking 
upon me as a Missionary priest, on account of my hair, 
which in those days flowed loosely on my shoulders, I was 
asked to say grace, which I did with a fervent spirit. 
Daylight returned. I visited the groves and woods 
around, with my companion, returned, breakfasted, and 
went to the store, where, notwithstanding my ardent desire to 
begin my task, it was ten o’clock before the sitter was ready. 
But, reader, allow me to describe the artist’s room. See me 
ascending a crazy flight of steps, from the back part of a 


40 MEADVILLE 


storeroom into a large garret extending over the store and 
counting room, and mark me looking round to see how the 
light could be stopped from obtruding on me through no 
less than four windows facing each other at right angles. 
Then follow me scrutinizing the corners, and finding in one 
a cat nursing her young, among a heap of rags intended for 
the paper-mill. Two hogsheads filled with oats, a parcel of 
Dutch toys carelessly thrown on the floor, a large drum and 
a bassoon in another part, fur caps hanging along the wall, 
and the portable bed of the merchant’s clerk swinging like 
a hammock near the centre, together with some rolls of sole 
leather, made up the picture. I saw all this at a glance, and 
closing the extra windows with blankets, I soon procured a 
painter’s light. 

A young gentleman sat, to try my skill. I finished his 
phiz, which was approved of. The merchant then took the 
chair, and I had the good fortune to please him also. ‘The 
room became crowded with the gentry of the village. Some 
laughed, while others expressed their wonder; but my work 
went on notwithstanding the observations that were made. 
My sitter invited me to spend the evening with him, which I 
did, and joined him in some music on the flute and violin. I 
returned to my companion with great pleasure; and you may 
judge how much that pleasure was increased, when I found 
that he also had made two sketches. Having written a page 
or two of our journals, we retired to rest. 

The following day was spent much in the same manner. 
I felt highly gratified that from under my grey coat my 
talents had made their way, and I was pleased to discover 
that industry and moderate abilities prove at least as valu- 
able as first-rate talents without the former of these qualities. 
We left Meadville on foot, having forwarded our baggage by 
wagon. Our hearts were light, our pockets replenished, and 
we walked in two days to Pittsburg, as happy as circum- 
stances permitted us to be. | 


THE COUGAR 


THERE is an extensive Swamp in the section of the State of 
Mississippi which lies partly in the Choctaw territory. 
It commences at the borders of the Mississippi, at no great 
distance from a Chicasaw village, situated near the mouth of 
a creek known by the name of Vanconnah, and partly inun- 
dated by the swellings of several large bayous, the principal 
of which, crossing the swamp in its whole extent, discharges 
its waters not far from the mouth of the Yazoo River. This 
famous bayou is called False River. The swamp of which 
I am speaking follows the windings of the Yazoo, until the 
latter branches off to the north-east, and at this point forms 
the stream named Cold Water River, below which the Yazoo 
receives the draining of another bayou inclining towards 
the north-west, and intersecting that known by the name of 
False River, at a short distance from the place where the 
latter receives the waters of the Mississippi. ‘This tedious 
account of the situation of the Swamp, is given with the view 
of pointing it out to all students of nature who may chance 
to go that way, and whom I would earnestly urge to visit its 
interior, as it abounds in rare and interesting productions: 
birds, quadrupeds and reptiles, as well as molluscous ani- 
mals, many of which, I am persuaded, have never been 
described. | 

In the course of one of my rambles, I chanced to meet with 
a squatter’s cabin on the banks of the Cold Water River. 
In the owner of this hut, like most of those adventurous set- 
tlers in the uncultivated tracts of our frontier districts, I 
found a person well versed in the chase, and acquainted with 
the habits of some of the larger species of quadrupeds and 


birds. As he who is desirous of instruction ought not to 
4] 


42 THE COUGAR 


disdain listening to any one who has knowledge to com- 
municate, however humble may be his lot, or however limited 
his talents, I entered the squatter’s cabin, and immediately 
opened a conversation with him respecting the situation of 
the swamp, and its natural productions. He told me he 
thought it the very place I ought to visit, spoke of the game 
which it contained, and pointed to some bear and deer skins, 
adding that the individuals to which they had belonged 
formed but a small portion of the number of those animals 
which he had shot within it. My heart swelled with delight, 
and on asking if he would accompany me through the great 
morass, and allow me to become an inmate of his humble but 
hospitable mansion, I was gratified to find that he cordially 
assented to all my proposals. So I immediately unstrapped 
my drawing materials, laid up my gun, and sat down to par- 
take of the homely but wholesome fare intended for the sup- 
per of the squatter, his wife, and his two sons. 

The quietness of the evening seemed in perfect accordance 
with the gentle demeanour of the family. The wife and 
children, I more than once thought, seemed to look upon me 
as a strange sort of person, going about, as I told them I 
was, in search of birds and plants; and were I here to relate 
the many questions which they put to me in return for those 
which I addressed to them, the catalogue would occupy sev- 
eral pages. The husband, a native of Connecticut, had 
heard of the existence of such men as myself, both in our 
own country and abroad, and seemed greatly pleased to 
have me under his roof. Supper over, I asked my kind host 
what had induced him to remove to this wild and solitary 
spot. ‘The people are growing too numerous now to thrive 
in New England,” was his answer. I thought of the state of 
some parts of Europe, and calculating the denseness of their 
population compared with that of New England, exclaimed 
to myself, ““How much more difficult must it be for men to 
thrive in those populous countries!” ‘The conversation then 
changed, and the squatter, his sons and myself, spoke of 


a 


THE COUGAR 43 


hunting and fishing, until at length tired, we laid ourselves 
down on pallets of bear skins, and reposed in peace on the 
floor of the only apartment of which the hut consisted. 

Day dawned, and the squatter’s call to his hogs, which, 
being almost in a wild state, were suffered to seek the greater 
portion of their food in the woods, awakened me. Being 
ready dressed, I was not long in joining him. The hogs and 
their young came grunting at the well known call of their 
owner, who threw them a few ears of corn, and counted them, 
but told me that for some weeks their number had been 
greatly diminished by the ravages committed upon them by 
a large Panther, by which name the Cougar is designated 
in America, and that the ravenous animal did not content 
himself with the flesh of his pigs, but now and then carried 
off one of his calves, notwithstanding the many attempts he 
had made to shoot it. The Painter, as he sometimes called 
it, had on several occasions robbed him of a dead deer; and 
to these exploits the squatter added several remarkable 
feats of audacity which it had performed, to give me an 
idea of the formidable character of the beast. Delighted by 
his description, I offered to assist him in destroying the 
enemy, at which he was highly pleased, but assured me that 
unless some of his neighbours should join us with their dogs 
and his own, the attempt would prove fruitless. Soon after, 
mounting a horse, he went off to his neighbours, several of 
whom lived at a distance of some miles, and appointed a day 
of meeting. 

The hunters, accordingly, made their appearance, one fine 
morning, at the door of the cabin, just as the sun was emerg- 
ing from beneath the horizon. 'They were five in number, 
and fully equipped for the chase, being mounted on horses, 
which in some parts of Europe might appear sorry nags, 
but which in strength, speed and bottom, are better fitted for 
pursuing a cougar or a bear through woods and morasses 
than any in that country. A pack of large ugly curs were 
already engaged in making acquaintance with those of the 


AA THE COUGAR 


squatter. He and myself mounted his two best horses, 
whilst his sons were bestriding others of inferior quality. 

Few words were uttered by the party until we had reached 
the edge of the Swamp, where it was agreed that all should 
disperse and seek for the fresh track of the Painter, it being 
previously settled that the discoverer should blow his horn, 
and remain on the spot until the rest should join him. In 
less than an hour, the sound of the horn was clearly heard, 
and, sticking close to the squatter, off we went through the 
thick woods, guided only by the now and then repeated call 
of the distant huntsman. We soon reached the spot, and 
in a short time the rest of the party came up. ‘The best dog 
was sent forward to track the Cougar, and in a few moments 
the whole pack were observed diligently trailing, and bear- 
ing in their course for the interior of the Swamp. ‘The rifles 
were immediately put in trim, and the party followed the 
dogs, at separate distances, but in sight of each other, de- 
termined to shoot at no other game than the Panther. 

The dogs soon began to mouth, and suddenly quickened 
their pace. My companion concluded that the beast was 
on the ground, and putting our horses to a gentle gallop, 
we followed the curs, guided by their voices. The noise of 
the dogs increased, when all of a sudden their mode of bark- 
ing became altered, and the squatter, urging me to push on, 
told me that the beast was treed, by which he meant that it 
had got upon some low branch of a large tree to rest for 
a few moments, and that should we not succeed in shooting 
him when thus situated, we might expect a long chase of it. 
As we approached the spot, we all by degrees united into a 
body, but on seeing the dogs at the foot of a large tree, sep- 
arated again and galloped off to surround it. 

Each hunter now moved with caution, holding his gun 
ready, and allowing the bridle to dangle on the neck of his 
horse, as it advanced slowly towards the dogs. A shot 
from one of the party was heard, on which the Cougar was 
seen to leap to the ground, and bound off with such velocity 


THE COUGAR 45 


as to show that he was very unwilling to stand our fire 
longer. The dogs set off in pursuit with great eagerness 
and a deafening cry. The hunter who had fired came up 
and said that his ball had hit the monster, and had probably 
broken one of his fore-legs near the shoulder, the only place 
at which he could aim. A slight trail of blood was dis- 
covered on the ground, but the curs proceeded at such a 
rate that we merely noticed this, and put spurs to our 
horses, which galloped on towards the centre of the Swamp. 
One bayou was crossed, then another still larger and more 
muddy; but the dogs were brushing forward, and as the 
horses began to pant at a furious rate, we judged it ex- 
pedient to leave them and advance on foot. These deter- 
mined hunters knew that the Cougar being wounded, would 
shortly ascend another tree, where in all probability he 
would remain for a considerable time, and that it would be 
easy to foilow the track of the dogs. We dismounted, took 
off the saddles and bridles, set the bells attached to the 
horses’ necks at liberty to jingle, hoppled the animals, and 
left them to shift for themselves. 

Now, reader, follow the group marching through the 
swamp, crossing muddy pools, and making the best of their 
way over fallen trees and amongst the tangled rushes that 
now and then covered acres of ground. If you are a hunter 
yourself, all this will appear nothing to you; but if crowded 
assemblies of “beauty and fashion,” or the quiet enjoyment 
of your “pleasure-grounds,” alone delight you, I must mend 
my pen before I attempt to give you an idea of the pleasure 
felt on such an expedition. 

After marching for a couple of hours, we again heard the 
dogs. Each of us pressed forward, elated at the thought of 
terminating the career of the Cougar. Some of the dogs 
were heard whining, although the greater number barked 
vehemently. We felt assured that the Cougar was treed, 
and that he would rest for some time to recover from his 
fatigue. As we came up to the dogs, we discovered the fero- 


46 THE COUGAR 


cious animal lying across a large branch, close to the trunk 
of a cotton-wood tree. His broad breast lay towards us; his 
eyes were at one time bent on us and again on the dogs be- 
neath and around him; one of his fore-legs hung loosely by 
his side, and he lay crouched, with his ears lowered close to 
his head, as if he thought he might remain undiscovered. 
Three balls were fired at him, at a given signal, on which he 
sprang a few feet from the branch, and tumbled headlong 
to the ground. Attacked on all sides by the enraged curs, 
the infuriated Cougar fought with desperate valour; but 
the squatter advancing in front of the party, and almost in 
the midst of the dogs, shot him immediately behind and be- 
neath the left shoulder. The Cougar writhed for a moment 
in agony, and in another lay dead. 

The sun was now sinking in the west. ‘Two of the hunters 
separated from the rest, to procure venison, whilst the 
squatter’s sons were ordered to make the best of their way 
home, to be ready to feed the hogs in the morning. The 
rest of the party agreed to camp on the spot. ‘The Cougar 
was despoiled of its skin, and its carcass left to the hungry 
dogs. Whilst engaged in preparing our camp, we heard 
the report of a gun, and soon after one of our hunters re- 
turned with a small deer. A fire was lighted, and each hun- 
ter displayed his pone of bread, along with a flask of whisky. 
The deer was skinned in a trice, and slices placed on sticks 
before the fire. These materials afforded us an excellent 
meal, and as the night grew darker, stories and songs went 
round, until my companions, fatigued, laid themselves down, | 
close under the smoke of the fire, and soon fell asleep. 

I walked for some minutes round the camp, to contemplate 
the beauties of that nature, from which I have certainly de- 
rived my greatest pleasures. I thought of the occurrences 
of the day, and glancing my eye around, remarked the 
singular effects produced by the phosphorescent qualites of 
the large decayed trunks which lay im all directions around 
me. How easy, I thought, would it be for the confused and 


THE COUGAR 47 


agitated mind of a person bewildered in a swamp like this, to 
imagine in each of these luminous masses some wondrous and 
fearful being, the very sight of which might make the hair 
stand erect on his head. The thought of being myself 
placed in such a predicament burst over my mind, and I 
hastened to join my companions, beside whom I laid me 
down and slept, assured that no enemy could approach us 
without first rousing the dogs, which were growling in fierce 
dispute over the remains of the Cougar. 

At daybreak we left our camp, the squatter bearing on his 
shoulder the skin of the late destroyer of his stock, and re- 
traced our steps until we found our horses, which had not 
strayed far from the place where we had left them. ‘These 
we soon saddled, and jogging along, in a direct course, 
guided by the sun, congratulating each other on the destruc- 
tion of so formidable a neighbour as the panther had been, 
we soon arrived at my host’s cabin. ‘The five neighbours 
partook of such refreshment as the house could afford, and 
dispersing, returned to their homes, leaving me to follow 
my favourite pursuits. 


THE EARTHQUAKE 


TravELuine through the Barrens of Kentucky (of which 
I shall give you an account elsewhere) in the month of 
November, I was jogging on one afternoon, when I remarked 
a sudden and strange darkness rising from the western hori- 
zon. Accustomed to our heavy storms of thunder and rain, 
I took no more notice of it, as I thought the speed of my 
horse might enable me to get under shelter of the roof of 
an acquaintance, who lived not far distant, before it should 
come up. I had proceeded about a mile, when I heard what 
I imagined to be the distant rumbling of a violent tornado, 
on which I spurred my steed, with a wish to gallop as fast 
as possible to the place of shelter; but it would not do, the 
animal knew better than I what was forthcoming, and, in- 
stead of going faster, so nearly stopped, that I remarked he 
placed one foot after another on the ground with as much 
precaution as if walking on a smooth sheet of ice. I thought 
he had suddenly foundered, and, speaking to him, was on 
the point of dismounting and leading him, when he all of 
a sudden fell a-groaning piteously, hung his head, spread 
out his four legs, as if to save himself from falling, and stood 
stock still, continuing to groan. I thought my horse was 
about to die, and would have sprung from his back had a 
minute more elapsed, but at that instant all the shrubs and 
trees began to move from their very roots, the ground rose 
and fell in successive furrows, like the ruffled waters of a lake, 
and I became bewildered in my ideas, as I too plainly dis- 
covered that all this awful commotion in nature was the re- 
sult of an earthquake. 

I had never witnessed any thing of the kind before, al- 


though, like every other person, I knew of earthquakes by 
48 


THE EARTHQUAKE 49 


description. But what is description compared with the 
reality? Who can tell of the sensations which I experienced 
when I found myself rocking as it were on my horse, and 
with him moved to and fro like a child in a cradle, with the 
most imminent danger around, and expecting the ground 
every moment to open, and present to my eye such an abyss 
as might engulf myself and all around me? ‘The fearful 
convulsion, however, lasted only a few minutes, and the 
heavens again brightened as quickly as they had become ob- 
scured; my horse brought his feet to the natural position, 
raised his head, and galloped off as if loose and frolicking 
without a rider. 

I was not, however, without great apprehension respecting 
my family, from which I was yet many miles distant, fearful 
that where they were the shock might have caused greater 
havoc than I had witnessed. I gave the bridle to my steed, 
and was glad to see him appear as anxious to get home as 
myself. The pace at which he galloped accomplished this 
sooner than I had expected, and I found, with much pleas- 
ure, that hardly any greater harm had taken place than the 
apprehension excited for my own safety. 

Shock succeeded shock almost every day or night for sev- 
eral weeks, diminishing, however, so gradually as to dwindle 
away into the mere vibrations of the earth. Strange to say, 
I for one became so accustomed to the feeling as rather to 
enjoy the fears manifested by others. I never can forget 
the effects of one of the slighter shocks which took place 
when I was at a friend’s house, where I had gone to enjoy 
the merriment that, in our western country, attends a wed- 
ding. ‘The ceremony being performed, supper over, and 
the fiddles tuned, dancing became the order of the moment. 
This was merrily followed up to a late hour, when the party 
retired to rest. We were in what is called, with great pro- 
priety, a Log-house, one of large dimensions, and solidly 
constructed. ‘The owner was a physician, and in one corner 
were not only his lancets, tourniquets, amputating-knives, 


50 THE EARTHQUAKE 


and other sanguinary apparatus, but all the drugs which 
he employed for the relief of his patients, arranged in jars 
and phials of different sizes. 'These had some days before 
made a narrow escape from destruction, but had been for- 
tunately preserved by closing the doors of the cases in which 
they were contained. 

As I have said, we had all retired to rest, some to dream 
of sighs and smiles, and others to sink into oblivion. Morn- 
ing was fast approaching, when the rumbling noise that 
precedes the earthquake began so loudly, as to waken and 
alarm the whole party, and drive them out of bed in the 
greatest consternation. The scene which ensued it is im- 
possible for me to describe, and it would require the humor- 
ous pencil of Cruickshank to do justice to it. Fear knows 
no restraints. Every person, old and young, filled with 
alarm at the creaking of the log-house, and apprehending 
instant destruction, rushed wildly out to the grass enclosure 
fronting the building. The full moon was slowly descend- 
ing from her throne, covered at times by clouds that rolled 
heavily along, as if to conceal from her view the scenes of 
terror which prevailed on the earth below. On the grass- 
plat we all met, in such condition as rendered it next to im- 
possible to discriminate any of the party, all huddled to- 
gether in a state of almost perfect nudity. The earth waved 
like a field of corn before the breeze: the birds left their 
perches, and flew about not knowing whither ; and the Doctor, 
recollecting the danger of his gallipots, ran to his shop-room, 
to prevent their dancing off the shelves to the floor. Never 
for a moment did he think of closing the doors, but spreading 
his arms, jumped about the front of the cases, pushing back 
here and there the falling jars; with so little success, how- 
ever, that before the shock was over, he had lost nearly all he 
possessed. 

The shock at length ceased, and the frightened females, 
now sensible of their dishabille, fled to their several apart- 
ments. The earthquakes produced more serious conse- 


THE EARTHQUAKE 51 


quences in other places. Near New Madrid, and for some 
distance on the Mississippi, the earth was rent asunder in 
several places, one or two islands sunk for ever, and the 
inhabitants fled in dismay towards the eastern shores. 


THE HURRICANE 


Various portions of our country have at different periods 
suffered severely from the influence of violent storms of wind, 
some of which have been known to traverse nearly the whole 
extent of the United States, and to leave such deep im- 
pressions in their wake as will not easily be forgotten. Hav- 
ing witnessed one of these awful phenomena, in all its gran- 
deur, I will attempt to describe it. The recollection of that 
astonishing revolution of the etherial element even now 
brings with it so disagreeable a sensation, that I feel as if 
about to be affected by a sudden stoppage of the circulation 
of my blood. 

I had left the village of Shawaney, situated on the banks 
of the Ohio, on my return from Henderson, which is also 
situated on the banks of the same beautiful stream. The 
weather was pleasant, and I thought not warmer than usual 
at that season. My horse was jogging quietly along, and 
my thoughts were, for once at least in the course of my life, 
entirely engaged in commercial speculations. I had forded 
Highland Creek, and was on the eve of entering a tract of 
bottom land or valley that lay between it and Canoe Creek, 
when on a sudden I remarked a great difference in the aspect 
of the heavens. A hazy thickness had overspread the coun- 
try, and I for some time expected an earthquake, but my 
horse exhibited no propensity to stop and prepare for such 
an occurrence. I had nearly arrived at the verge of the 
valley, when I thought fit to stop near a brook, and dis- 
mounted to quench the thirst which had come upon me. 

I was leaning on my knees, with my lips about to touch the 
water, when, from the proximity to the earth, I heard a dis- 


tant murmuring sound of an extraordinary nature. I 
52 


THE HURRICANE 53 


drank, however, and as I rose on my feet, looked toward the 
south-west, where I observed a yellowish, oval spot, the ap- 
pearance of which was quite new to me. Little time was 
left me for consideration, as the next moment a smart breeze 
began to agitate the taller trees. It increased to an unex- 
pected height, and already the smaller branches and twigs 
were seen falling in a slanting direction towards the ground. 
Two minutes had scarcely elapsed, when the whole forest be- 
fore me was in fearful motion. Here and there, where one 
tree pressed against another, a creaking noise was produced, 
similar to that occasioned by the violent gusts which some- 
times sweep over the country. Turning instinctively to- 
ward the direction from which the wind blew, I saw, to my 
great astonishment, that the noblest trees of the forest bent 
their lofty heads for a while, and unable to stand against the 
blast, were falling into pieces. First, the branches were 
broken off with a crackling noise; then went the upper part 
of the massy trunks; and in many places whole trees of 
gigantic size were falling entire to the ground. So rapid 
was the progress of the storm, that before I could think of 
taking measures to insure my safety, the hurricane was 
passing opposite the place where I stood. Never can I 
forget the scene which at that moment presented itself. 
The tops of the trees were seen moving in the strangest man- 
ner, in the central current of the tempest, which carried 
along with it a mingled mass of twigs and foliage, that com- 
pletely obscured the view. Some of the largest trees were 
seen bending and writhing under the gale; others suddenly 
snapped across; and many, after a momentary resistance 
fell uprooted to the earth. The mass of branches, twigs, 
foliage and dust that moved through the air, was whirled 
onwards like a cloud of feathers, and on passing, disclosed a 
wide space filled with fallen trees, naked stumps, and heaps 
of shapeless ruins, which marked the path of the tempest. 
This space was about a fourth of a mile in breadth and to 
my imagination resembled the dried-up bed of the Missis- 


54 THE HURRICANE 


sippi, with its thousands of planters and sawyers, strewed 
in the sand, and inclined in various degrees. The horrible 
noise resembled that of the great cataracts of Niagara, and 
as it howled along in the track of the desolating tempest, 
produced a feeling in my mind which it is impossible to 
describe. 

The principal force of the hurricane was now over, al- 
though millions of twigs and small branches, that had been 
brought from a great distance, were seen following the blast, 
as if drawn onwards by some mysterious power. ‘They even 
floated in the air for some hours after, as if supported by the 
thick mass of dust that rose high above the ground. ‘The 
sky had now a greenish lurid hue, and an extremely dis- 
agreeable sulphureous odour was diffused in the atmosphere. 
I waited in amazement, having sustained no material injury, 
until nature at length resumed her wonted aspect. For 
some moments, I felt undetermined whether I should return 
to Morgantown, or attempt to force my way through the 
wrecks of the tempest. My business, however, being of an 
urgent nature, I ventured into the path of the storm, and 
after encountering innumerable difficulties, succeeded in 
crossing it. I was obliged to lead my horse by the bridle, 
to enable him to leap over the fallen trees, whilst I scrambled 
over or under them in the best way I could, at times so 
hemmed in by the broken tops and tangled branches, as al- 
most to become desperate. On arriving at my house, I gave 
an account of what I had seen, when, to my surprise, I was 
told that there had been very little wind in the neighbour- 
hood, although in the streets and gardens many branches 
and twigs had fallen in a manner which excited great 
surprise. 

Many wondrous accounts of the devastating effect of this 
hurricane were circulated in the country, after its occur- 
rence. Some log houses, we were told, had been overturned, 
and their inmates destroyed. One person informed me that 
a wire-sifter had been conveyed by the gust to a distance 


THE HURRICANE 55 


of many miles. Another had found a cow lodged in the fork 
of a large half-broken tree. But, as I am disposed to relate 
only what I have myself seen, I will not lead you into the 
region of romance, but shall content myself with saying that 
much damage was done by this awful visitation. The valley 
is yet a desolate place, overgrown with briars and bushes, 
thickly entangled amidst the tops and trunks of the fallen 
trees, and is the resort of ravenous animals, to which they 
betake themselves when pursued by man, or after they have 
committed their depredations on the farms of the surround- 
ing district. I have crossed the path of the storm, at a dis- 
tance of a hundred miles from the spot where I witnessed its 
fury, and, again, four hundred miles farther off, in the State 
of Ohio. Lastly, I observed traces of its ravages on the 
summits of the mountains connected with the Great Pine 
Forest of Pennsylvania, three hundred miles beyond the 
place last mentioned. In all these different parts, it ap- 
peared to me not to have exceeded a quarter of a mile in 


breadth. 


KENTUCKY SPORTS 


Ir may not be amiss, before I attempt to give some idea of 
the pleasures experienced by the sportsmen of Kentucky, to 
introduce the subject with a slight description of that State. 

Kentucky was formerly attached to Virgina, but in those 
days the Indians looked upon that portion of the western 
wilds as their own, and abandoned the district only when 
forced to do so, moving with disconsolate hearts farther into 
the recesses of the unexplored forests. Doubtless the rich- 
ness of its soil, and the beauty of its borders, situated as they 
are along one of the most beautiful rivers in the world, con- 
tributed as much to attract the Old Virginians, as the desire 
so generally experienced in America, of spreading over the 
uncultivated tracts, and bringing into cultivation lands 
that have for unknown ages teemed with the wild luxuriance 
of untamed nature. The conquest of Kentucky was not 
performed without many difficulties. The warfare that 
long existed between the intruders and the Redskins was 
sanguinary and protracted; but the former at length made 
good their footing, and the latter drew off their shattered 
bands, dismayed by the mental superiority and indomitable 
courage of the white men. 

This region was probably discovered by a daring hunter, 
the renowned Daniel Boon. ‘The richness of its soul, its 
magnificent forests, its numberless navigable streams, its 
salt springs and licks, its saltpetre caves, its coal strata, and 
the vast herds of buffaloes and deer that browsed on its hills 
and amidst its charming valleys, afforded ample inducements 
to the new settler, who pushed forward with a spirit far 
above that of the most undaunted tribes, which for ages had 


been the sole possessors of the soil. 
56 





KENTUCKY, SPORTS 57 


The Virginians thronged towards the Ohio. An axe, a 
couple of horses, and a heavy rifle, with store of ammunition, 
were all that were considered necessary for the equipment of 
the man, who, with his family, removed to the new State, 
assured that, in that land of exuberant fertility, he could not 
fail to provide amply for all his wants. 'T’o have witnessed 
the industry and perseverance of these emigrants must at 
once have proved the vigour of their minds. Regardless of 
the fatigue attending every movement which they made, they 
pushed through an unexplored region of dark and tangled 
forests, guiding themselves by the sun alone, and reposing at 
night on the bare ground. They had to cross numberless 
streams on rafts, with their wives and children, their cattle 
and their luggage, often drifting to considerable distances 
before they could effect a landing on the opposite shores. 
Their cattle would often stray amid the rice pasturage of 
these shores, and occasion a delay of several days. 'To these 
troubles add the constantly impending danger of being mur- 
dered, while asleep in their encampments, by the prowling 
and ruthless Indians; while they had before them a distance 
of hundreds of miles to be traversed, before they could reach 
certain places of rendezvous called stations. 'To encounter 
difficulties like these must have required energies of no ordi- 
nary kind; and the reward which these veteran settlers 
enjoy was doubtless well merited. 

Some removed from the Atlantic shores to those of the 
Ohio in more comfort and security. ‘They had their wagons, 
their Negroes, and their families. Their way was cut 
through the woods by their own axemen, the day before their 
advance, and when night overtook them, the hunters at- 
tached to the party came to the place pitched upon for en- 
camping, loaded with the dainties of which the forest yielded 
an abundant supply, the blazing light of a huge fire guiding 
their steps as they approached, and the sounds of merriment 
that saluted their ears assuring them that all was well. 
The flesh of the buffalo, the bear, and the deer, soon hung 


58 KENTUCKY SPORTS 


in large and delicious steaks, in front of the embers; the 
cakes already prepared were deposited in their proper 
places, and under the rich drippings of the juicy roasts, 
were quickly baked. The wagons contained the bedding, 
and whilst the horses which had drawn them were turned 
loose to feed on the luxuriant undergrowth of the woods, 
some perhaps hoppled, but the greater number merely with 
a light bell hung to their neck, to guide their owners in the 
morning to the spot where they might have rambled, the 
party were enjoying themselves after the fatigues of the 
day. 

In anticipation all is pleasure; and these migrating bands 
feasted in joyous sociality, unapprehensive of any greater 
difficulties than those to be encountered in forcing their way 
through the pathless woods to the land of abundance; and 
although it took months to accomplish the journey, and a 
skirmish now and then took place between them and the In- 
dians, who sometimes crept unperceived into their very camp, 
still did the Virginians cheerfully proceed towards the west- 
ern horizon, until the various groups all reached the Ohio, 
when, struck with the beauty of that magnificent stream, 
they at once commenced the task of clearing land, for the 
purpose of establishing a permanent residence. 

Others, perhaps encumbered with too much luggage, pre- 
ferred descending the stream. They prepared arks pierced 
with port-holes, and glided on the gentle current, more an- 
noyed, however, than those who marched by land, by the 
attacks of the Indians, who watched their motions. Many 
travellers have described these boats, formerly called arks, 
but now named flat-boats. But have they told you, reader, 
that in those times a boat thirty or forty feet in length, by 
ten or twelve in breadth, was considered a stupendous fabric; 
that this boat contained men, women and children, huddled 
together, with horses, cattle, hogs and poultry for their com- 
panions, while the remaining portion was crammed with vege- 
tables and packages of seeds? ‘The roof or deck of the boat 


KENTUCKY SPORTS 59 


was not unlike a farm-yard, being covered with hay, ploughs, 
carts, wagons, and various agricultural implements, to- 
gether with numerous others among which the spinning- 
wheels of the matrons were conspicuous. Even the sides of 
the floating mass were loaded with the wheels of the differ- 
ent vehicles, which themselves lay on the roof. Have they 
told you that these boats contained the little all of each 
family of venturous emigrants, who, fearful of being dis- 
covered by the Indians, under night moved in darkness, 
groping their way from one part to another of these floating 
habitations, denying themselves the comfort of fire or light, 
lest the foe that watched them from the shore should rush 
upon them and destroy them? Have they told you that this 
boat was used, after the tedious voyage was ended, as the 
first dwelling of these new settlers? No, such things have 
not been related to you before. The travellers who have 
visited our country have had other objects in view. 

I shall not describe the many massacres which took place 
among the different parties of White and Red men, as the 
former moved down the Ohio; because I have never been very 
fond of battles, and indeed have always wished that the 
world were more peaceably inclined than it is; and shall 
merely add, that, in one way or other, Kentucky was wrested 
from the original owners of the soil. Let us, therefore, turn 
our attention to the sports still enjoyed in that now happy 
portion of the United States. 

We have individuals in Kentucky, that even there are con- _ 
sidered wonderful adepts in the management of the rifle. 
To drive a nail is a common feat, not more thought of by the 
Kentuckians than to cut off a wild turkey’s head, at a dis- 
tance of a hundred yards. Others will bark off squirrels 
one after another, until satisfied with the number procured. 
Some, less intent on destroying game, may be seen under 
night snuffing a candle at the distance of fifty yards, off- 
hand, without extinguishing it. I have been told that some 
have proved so expert and cool, as to make choice of the eye 


60 KENTUCKY SPORTS 


of a foe at a wonderful distance, boasting beforehand of the 
sureness of their piece, which has afterwards been fully 
proved when the enemy’s head has been examined! 

Having resided some years in Kentucky, and having more 
than once been witness of rifle sport, I will present you with 
the results of my observation, leaving you to judge how far 
rifle-shooting is understood in that State. 

Several individuals who conceive themselves expert in the 
management of the gun, are often seen to meet for the pur- 
pose of displaying their skill, and betting a trifling sum, put 
up a target, in the centre of which a common-sized nail is 
hammered for about two-thirds of its length. The marks- 
men make choice of what they consider a proper distance, 
which may be forty paces. Each man cleans the interior of 
his tube, which is called wiping it, places a ball in the palm 
of his hand, pouring as much powder from his horn upon it 
as will cover it. This quantity is supposed to be sufficient 
for any distance within a hundred yards. A shot which 
comes very close to the nail is considered as that of an indif- 
ferent marksman; the bending of the nail is, of course, 
somewhat better; but nothing less than hitting it right on 
the head is satisfactory. Well, kind reader, one out of three 
shots generally hits the nail, and should the shooters amount 
to half a dozen, two nails are frequently needed before each 
can have a shot. Those who drive the nail have a further 
trial amongst themselves, and the two best shots of these 
generally settle the affair, when all the sportsmen adjourn 
to some house, and spend an hour or two in friendly inter- 
course, appointing, before they part, a day for another trial. 
This is technically termed Driving the Nail. 

Barking off squirrels is delightful sport, and in my opin- 
ion requires a greater degree of accuracy than any other. I 
first witnessed this manner of procuring squirrels whilst 
near the town of Frankfort. ‘The performer was the cele- 
brated Daniel Boon. We walked out together, and followed 
the rocky margins of the Kentucky River, until we reached a 


KENTUCKY SPORTS 61 


piece of flat land thickly covered with black walnuts, oaks 
and hickories. As the general mast was a good one that 
year, squirrels were seen gambolling on every tree around 
us. My companion, a stout, hale, and athletic man, dressed 
in a homespun hunting-shirt, bare-legged and moccasined, 
carried a long and heavy rifle, which, as he was loading it, he 
said had proved efficient in all his former undertakings, and 
which he hoped would not fail on this occasion, as he felt 
proud to show me his skill. The gun was wiped, the powder 
measured, the ball patched with six-hundred-thread linen, 
and the charge sent home with a hickory rod. We moved 
not a step from the place, for the squirrels were so numerous 
that it was unnecessary to go after them. Boon pointed to 
one of these animals which had observed us, and was 
crouched on a branch about fifty paces distant, and bade 
me mark well the spot where the ball should hit. He raised 
his piece gradually, until the bead (that being the name 
given by the Kentuckians to the sight) of the barrel was 
brought to a line with the spot which he intended to hit. 
The whip-like report resounded through the woods and 
along the hills in repeated echoes. Judge of my surprise, 
when I perceived that the ball had hit the piece of the bark 
immediately beneath the squirrel, and shivered it into splin- 
terss the concussion produced by which had killed the animal, 
and sent it whirling through the air, as if it had been blown 
up by explosion of a powder magazine. Boon kept up his 
firing, and before many hours had elapsed, we had procured 
as many squirrels as we wished; for you must know, that to 
load a rifle requires only a moment, and that if it is wiped 
once after each shot, it will do duty for hours. Since that 
first interview with our veteran Boon, I have seen many other 
individuals perform the same feat. 

The snuffing of a candle with a ball, I first had an op- 
portunity of seeing near the banks of Green River, not far 
from a large pigeon-roost, to which I had previously made a 
visit. I heard many reports of guns during the early part 


62 KENTUCKY SPORTS 


of a dark night, and knowing them to be those of rifles, I 
went towards the spot to ascertain the cause. On reaching 
the place, I was welcomed by a dozen of tall stout men, who 
told me they were exercising, for the purpose of enabling 
them to shoot under night at the reflected light from the eyes 
of a deer or wolf, by torch-light, of which I shall give you an 
account somewhere else. A fire was blazing near, the smoke 
of which rose curling among the thick foliage of the trees. 
At a distance which rendered it scarcely distinguishable, 
stood a burning candle, as if intended for an offering to the 
goddess of night, but which in reality was only fifty yards 
from the spot on which we all stood. One man was within 
a few yards of it, to watch the effects of the shots, as well 
as to light the candle should it chance to go out, or to replace 
it should the shot cut it across. Each marksmen shot in his 
turn. Some never hit either the snuff or the candle, and 
were congratulated with a loud laugh; while others actually 
snuffed the candle without putting it out, and were recom- 
pensed for their dexterity by numerous hurrahs. One of 
them, who was particularly expert, was very fortunate, and 
snuffed the candle three times out of seven, whilst ail the 
other shots either put out the candle, or cut it immediately 
under the light. 

Of the feats performed by the Kentuckians with the rifle, I 
could say more than might be expedient on the present oc- 
casion. In every thinly peopled portion of the State, it is 
rare to meet one without a gun of that description, as well 
as a tomahawk. By way of recreation they often cut off a 
piece of the bark of a tree, make a target of it, using a little 
powder wetted with water or saliva for the bull’s eye, and 
shoot into the mark all the balls they have about them, pick- 
ing them out of the wood again. 

After what I have said, you may easily imagine with what 
ease a Kentuckian procures game, or dispatches an enemy, 
more especially when I tell you that every one in the State 


KENTUCKY SPORTS 63 


is accustomed to handle the rifle from the time when he is first 
able to shoulder it until near the close of his career. That 
murderous weapon is the means of procuring them sub- 
sistence during all their wild and extensive rambles, and is 
the source of their principal sports and pleasures. 


THE TRAVELLER AND THE POLE-CAT 


On a journey from Louisville to Henderson in Kentucky, 
performed during very severe winter weather, in company 
with a foreigner, the initials of whose name are D. T., my 
companion spying a beautiful animal, marked with black 
and a pale yellow, and having a long and bushy tail, ex- 
claimed, “Mr. Audubon, is not that a beautiful squirrel?” 
“Yes,” I answered, “and of a kind that will suffer you to ap- 
proach, and lay hold of it if you are well gloved.” Mr. 
D. 'T. dismounting, took up a dry stick, and advanced 
toward the pretty animal, with his large cloak floating in 
the breeze. I think I see him approach, and laying the stick 
gently across the body of the animal, try to secure it; and 
I can yet laugh almost as heartily as I then did, when I 
plainly saw the discomfiture of the traveller. The Pole-cat 
(for a true Pole-cat it was, the Mephitis americana of zool- 
ogists), raised its fine ‘bushy tail, and showered such a dis- 
charge of the fluid given him by nature as a defence, that 
my friend, dismayed and infuriated, began to belabour the 
poor animal. The swiftness and good management of the 
Pole-cat, however, saved its bones, and as it made its retreat 
towards its hole, kept up at every step a continued eject- 
ment, which fully convinced the gentleman that the pursuit 
of such squirrels as these was at the best an unprofitable em- 
ployment. 

This was not all, however. I could not suffer his ap- 
proach, nor could my horse; it was with difficulty he mounted 
his own; and we were forced to continue our journey far 
asunder, and he much to leeward. Nor did the matter end 
here. We could not proceed much farther that night; as, in 


the first place, it was nearly dark when we saw the Pole-cat, 
64 


THE TRAVELLER AND THE POLE-CAT 65 


and as, in the second place, a heavy snow-storm began, and 
almost impeded our progress. We were forced to make for 
the first cabin we saw. Having asked and obtained per- 
mission to rest for the night we dismounted and found our- 
selves amongst a crowd of men and women who had met for 
the purpose of corn-shucking. 

To a European who has not visited the western parts of 
the United States, an explanation of this corn-shucking may 
not be unacceptable. Corn (or you may prefer calling it 
maize) is gathered in the husk, that is, by breaking each 
Jarge ear from the stem. These ears are first thrown into 
heaps in the field, and afterwards carried in carts to the 
barn, or, as in this instance, and in such portions of Ken- 
tucky, to a shed made of the blades or long leaves that hang 
in graceful curves from the stalk, and which, when plucked 
and dried, are used instead of hay as food for horses and 
cattle. The husk consists of several thick leaves rather 
longer than the corn-ear itself, and which secure it from the 
weather. It is quite a labour to detach these leaves from the 
ear, when thousands of bushels of the corn are gathered and 
heaped together. For this purpose, however, and in the 
western country more especially, several neighbouring fam- 
ilies join alternately at each other’s plantations, and assist 
in clearing away the husks, thus preparing the maize for 
the market or for domestic use. 

The good people whom we met with at this hospitable 
house, were on the point of going to the barn (the farmer 
here being in rather good condition) to work until towards 
the middle of the night. When we had stood the few stares 
to which strangers must accustom themselves, no matter 
where, even in a drawing-room, we approached the fire. 
What a shock for the whole party! The scent of the Pole- 
cat, that had been almost stifled on my companion’s vest- 
ments by the cold of the evening air, now recovered its 
primitive strength. The cloak was put out of the house, 
but its owner could not be well used in the same way. ‘The 


66 THE TRAVELLER AND THE POLE-CAT 


company, however, took to their heels, and there only re- 
mained a single black servant, who waited on us until supper 
was served. 

I felt vexed at myself, as I saw the traveller displeased. 
But he had so much good breeding as to treat this important 
affair with great forbearance, and merely said he was sorry 
for his want of knowledge in zoology. The good gentleman, 
however, was not only deficient in zoological lore, but, fresh 
as he was from Europe, felt more than uneasy in this out-of- 
the-way dwelling, and would have proceeded towards my own 
house that night, had I not at length succeeded in persuad- 
ing him that he was in perfect security. 

We were shown to bed. As I was almost a stranger to 
him, and he to me, he thought it a very awkward thing to be 
obliged to lie in the same bed with me, but afterwards spoke 
of it as a happy circumstance, and requested that I should 
suffer him to be placed next the logs, thinking, no doubt, that 
there he should run no risk. 

_ We started by break of day, taking with us the frozen 
cloak, and after passing a pleasant night in my own house, 
we parted. Some years after I met my Kentucky compan- 
ion in a far distant land, when he assured me, that when- 
ever the sun shone on his cloak, or it was brought near a 
fire, the scent of the Pole-cat became so perceptible, that he 
at last gave it to a poor monk in Italy. 

The animal commonly known in America by the name of 
Pole-cat is about a foot and a half in length, with a large 
bushy tail, nearly as long as the body. 'The colour is gen- 
erally brownish-black, with a large white patch on the back 
of the head; but there are many varieties of colouring, in 
some of which the broad white bands of the back are very 
conspicuous. ‘The Pole-cat burrows, or forms a subter- 
ranean habitation among the roots of trees, or in rocky 
places. It feeds on birds, young hares, rats, mice, and other 
animals, and commits great depredations on poultry. The 
most remarkable peculiarity of this animal is the power, 


THE TRAVELLER AND THE POLE-CAT 67 


alluded to above, of squirting for its defence a most nause- 
ously scented fluid contained in a receptacle situated under 
the tail, which it can do to the distance of several yards. It 
does not, however, for this purpose, sprinkle its tail with 
the fluid, as some allege, unless when extremely harassed by 
its enemies. ‘The Pole-cat is frequently domesticated. The 
removal of the glands prevents the secretion of the nauseous 
fluid, and when thus improved, the animal becomes a great 
favourite, and performs the offices of the common cat with 
great dexterity. 


DEER HUNTING 


Tue different modes of destroying Deer are probably too 
well understood and too successfully practised in the United 
States ; for, notwithstanding the almost incredible abundance 
of these beautiful animals in our forests and prairies, such 
havoc is carried on amongst them, that, in a few centuries, 
they will probably be as scarce in America as the Great 
Bustard now is in Britain. 

We have three modes of hunting Deer, each varying in 
some slight degree, in the different States and Districts. 
The first is termed Still Hunting, and is by far the most 
destructive. The second is called Firelight Hunting, and is 
next in its exterminating effects. The third, which may be 
looked upon as a mere amusement, is named Driving. Al- 
though many Deer are destroyed by this latter method, it 
is not by any means so pernicious as the others. These 
methods I shall describe separately. 

Still Hunting is followed as a kind of trade by most of our 
frontier men. ‘To be practised with success, it requires 
great activity, an expert management of the rifle, and a 
thorough knowledge of the forest, together with an intimate 
acquaintance with the habits of the Deer, not only at differ- 
ent seasons of the year, but also at every hour of the day, as 
the hunter must be aware of the situations which the game 
prefers, and in which it is most likely to be found, at any 
particular time. I might here present you with a full ac- 
count of the habits of our Deer, were it not my intention to 
lay before you, at some future period, in the form of a 
distinct work, the observations which I have made on the 
various Quadrupeds of our extensive territories. 


Illustrations of any kind require to be presented in the 
68 


DEER HUNTING 69 


best possible light. We will therefore suppose that we are 
now about to follow the true hunter, as the Still Hunter is 
also called, through the interior of the tangled woods, across 
morasses, ravines, and such places, where the game may 
prove more or less plentiful, even should none be found there 
in the first instance. We will allow our hunter all the agil- 
ity, patience, and care, which his occupation requires, and 
will march in his rear, as if we were spies, watching all his 
motions. 

His dress, you observe, consists of a leather hunting shirt, 
and a pair of trowsers of the same material. His feet are 
well moccasined ; he wears a belt round his waist; his heavy 
rifle is resting on his brawny shoulder; on one side hangs his 
ball-pouch, surmounted by the horn of an ancient Buffalo, 
once the terror of the herd, but now containing a pound 
of the best gunpowder; his butcher knife is scabbarded in 
the same strap, and behind is a tomahawk, the handle of 
which has been thrust through his girdle. He walks with 
so rapid a step, that probably few men could follow him, 
unless for a short distance, in their anxiety to witness his 
ruthless deeds. He stops, looks at the flint of his gun, its 
priming, and the leather cover of the lock, then glances his 
eye towards the sky, to judge of the course most likely to 
lead him to the game. 

The heavens are clear, the red glare of the morning sun 
gleams through the lower branches of the lofty trees, the dew 
hangs in pearly drops at the top of every leaf. Already has 
the emerald hue of the foliage been converted into the more 
glowing tints of our autumnal months. A slight frost ap- 
pears on the fence-rails of his little corn-field. As he pro- 
ceeds, he looks to the dead foliage under his feet, in search 
of the well known traces of a buck’s hoof. Now he bends 
toward the ground, on which something has attracted his 
attention. See! he alters his course, increases his speed, and 
will soon reach the opposite hill. Now, he moves with cau- 
tion, stops at almost every tree, and peeps forward, as if 


70 DEER HUNTING 


already within shooting distance of the game. He advances 
again, but how very slowly! He has reached the declivity, 
upon which the sun shines in all its growing splendour; but 
mark him! he takes the gun from his shoulder, has already 
thrown aside the leathern cover of the lock, and is wiping 
the edge of his flint with his tongue. Now he stands like a 
monumental figure, perhaps measuring the distance that lies 
between him and the game, which he has in view. His rifle is 
slowly raised, the report follows, and he runs. Let us run 
also. Shall I speak to him, and ask him the result of this 
first essay? Assuredly, reader, for I know him well. 

“Pray, friend, what have you killed?” for to say, “what 
have you shot at?” might imply the possibility of his having 
missed, and so might hurt his feelings? “Nothing but a 
Buck.” “And where is it?” “Oh, it has taken a jump or 
so, but I settled it, and will soon be with it. My ball struck, 
and must have gone through his heart.” We arrive at the 
spot, where the animal had laid itself down among the grass 
in a thicket of grape-vines, sumachs, and spruce-bushes, 
where it intended to repose during the middle of the day. 
The place is covered with blood, the hoofs of the deer have 
left deep prints in the ground, as it bounced in the agonies 
produced by its wound; but the blood that has gushed from 
its side discloses the course which it has taken. We soon 
reach the spot. There lies the buck, its tongue out, its eye 
dim, its breath exhausted: it is dead. The hunter draws 
his knife, cuts the buck’s throat almost asunder, and pre- 
pares to skin it. For this purpose he hangs it upon the 
branch of a tree. When the skin is removed, he cuts off the 
hams, and abandoning the rest of the carcass to the wolves 
and vultures, reloads his gun, flings the venison, enclosed 
by the skin, upon his back, secures it with a strap, and walks 
off in search of more game well knowing that, in the immedi- 
ate neighbourhood, another at least is to be found. 

Had the weather been warmer, the hunter would have 
sought for the buck along the shadowy side of the hills. 


DEER HUNTING 71 


Had it been the spring season, he would have led us through 
some thick cane-brake, to the margin of some remote lake, 
where you would have seen the deer immersed to his head 
in the water, to save his body from the tormenting attacks 
of moschettoes. Had winter overspread the earth with a 
covering of snow, he would have searched the low damp 
woods, where the mosses and lichens, on which at that period 
the deer feeds, abound, the trees being generally crusted with 
them for several feet from the ground. At one time, he 
might have marked the places where the deer clears the vel- 
vet from his horns by rubbing them against the low stems 
of bushes, and where he frequently scrapes the earth with his 
fore-hoofs; at another, he would have betaken himself to 
places where persimmons and crab-apples abound, as beneath 
these trees the deer frequently stops to munch their fruits. 
During early spring, our hunter would imitate the bleating 
of the doe, and thus frequently obtain both her and the 
fawn; or, like some tribes of Indians, he would prepare a 
deer’s head, placed on a stick, and creeping with it amongst 
the tall grass of the prairies, would decoy the deer within 
reach of his rifle. But we have seen enough of the still 
hunter. Let it suffice for me to add, that by the mode pur- 
sued by him, thousands of deer are annually killed, many 
individuals shooting these animals merely for the skin, not 
caring for even the most valuable portions of the flesh, unless 
hunger, or a near market, induces them to carry off the 
hams. 

The mode of destroying deer by fire-light, or, as it is 
named in some parts of the country, forest-light, never fails 
to produce a very singular feeling in him who witnesses it for 
the first time. ‘There is something in it which at times ap- 
pears awfully grand. At other times, a certain degree of 
fear creeps over the mind, and even affects the physical 
powers, of him who follows the hunter through the thick un- 
dergrowth of our woods, having to leap his horse over hun- 
dreds of huge fallen trunks, at one time impeded by a strag- 


72 DEER HUNTING 


gling grape-vine crossing his path, at another squeezed be- 
tween two stubborn saplings, whilst their twigs come smack 
in his face, as his companion has forced his way through 
them. Again, he every now and then runs the risk of break- 
ing his neck, by being suddenly pitched headlong on the 
ground, as his horse sinks into a hole covered over with moss. 
But I must proceed in a more regular manner, and leave my 
reader to judge whether such a mode of hunting would suit 
his taste or not. 

The hunter has returned to his camp or his house, has 
rested and eaten of his game. He waits impatiently for the 
return of night. He has procured a quantity of pine-knots 
filled with resinous matter, and has an old frying-pan, that, 
for aught I know to the contrary, may have been used by his 
great grandmother, in which the pine-knots are to be placed 
when lighted. The horses stand saddled at the door. ‘The 
hunter comes forth, his rifle slung on his shoulder, and 
springs upon one of them, while his son, or servant, mounts 
the other, with the frying-pan and the pine-knots. Thus 
accoutred, they proceed towards the interior of the forest. 
When they have arrived at the spot where the hunt is to be- 
gin, they strike fire with a flint and steel, and kindle the 
resinous wood. ‘The person who carries the fire moves in the 
direction judged to be the best. ‘The blaze illuminates the 
near objects, but the distant parts seem involved in deepest 
obscurity. The hunter who bears the gun keeps immedi- 
ately in front, and after a while discovers before him two 
feeble lights, which are procured by the reflection of the pine 
fire from the eyes of an animal of the deer or wolf kind. 
The animal stands quite still. To one unacquainted with 
this strange mode of hunting, the glare from its eyes might 
bring to his imagination some lost hobgoblin that had 
strayed from its usual haunts. 'The hunter, however, no- 
wise intimidated, appproaches the object, sometimes so near 
as to discern its form, when raising the rifle to his shoulder, 


DEER HUNTING 13 


he fires and kills it on the spot. He then dismounts, se- 
cures the skin and such portions of the flesh as he may want, 
in the manner already described, and continues his search 
through the greater part of the night, sometimes until the 
dawn of day, shooting from five to ten deer, should these 
animals be plentiful. This kind of hunting proves fatal, 
not to the deer alone, but also sometimes to wolves, and now 
and then to a horse or a cow, which may have straggled far 
into the woods. 

Now, reader, prepare to mount a generous, full blood 
Virginian Hunter. See that your gun is in complete order, 
for, hark to the sound of the bugle and horn, and the min- 
gled clamour of a pack of harriers! Your friends are wait- 
ing you, under the shade of the wood, and we must together 
go driving the light-footed deer. The distance over which 
one has to travel is seldom felt, when pleasure is anticipated 
as the result: so, galloping we go pell-mell through the 
woods, to some well known place, where many a fine buck has 
drooped its antlers under the ball of the hunter’s rifle. The 
servants, who are called the drivers, have already begun 
their search. ‘Their voices are heard exciting the hounds, 
and unless we put spurs to our steeds, we may be too late at 
our stand, and thus lose the first opportunity of shooting the 
fleeting game as it passes by. Hark again! the dogs are in 
chase, the horn sounds louder and more clearly. Hurry, 
hurry on, or we shall be sadly behind! 

Here we are at last! Dismount, fasten your horse to 
this tree, place yourself by the side of that large yellow 
poplar, and mind you do not shoot me! The deer is fast 
approaching; I will to my own stand, and he who shoots him 
dead wins the prize. 

The deer is heard coming. It has inadvertently cracked 
a dead stick with its hoof, and the dogs are now so near it 
that it will passin amoment. There it comes! How beau- 
tifully it bounds over the ground! What a splendid head 


14 DEER HUNTING 


of horns! How easy its attitudes, depending, as it seems to 
do, on its own swiftness for safety! All is in vain, however: 
a gun is fired, the animal plunges and doubles with incom- 
parable speed. There he goes! He passes another stand, 
from which a second shot, better directed than the first, 
brings him to the ground. The dogs, the servants, the 
sportsmen are now rushing forward to the spot. The hun- 
ter who has shot it is congratulated on his skill or good luck, 
and the chase begins again in some other part of the woods. 

A few lines of explanation may be required to convey a 
clear idea of this mode of hunting. Deer are fond of follow- 
ing and retracing the paths which they have formerly pur- 
sued, and continue to do so even after they have been shot at 
more than once. ‘These tracks are discovered by persons on 
horseback in the woods, or a deer is observed crossing a 
road, a field, or a small stream. When this has been noticed 
twice, the deer may be shot from the places called stands 
by the sportsman, who is stationed there, and waits for it, a 
line of stands being generally formed so as to cross the path 
which the game will follow. The person who ascertains the 
usual pass of the game, or discovers the parts where the 
animal feeds or lies down during the day, gives intimation 
to his friends, who then prepare for the chase. ‘The sery- 
ants start the deer with the hounds, and by good manage- 
ment, generally succeed in making it run the course that will 
soonest bring it to its death. But, should the deer be cau- 
tious, and take another course, the hunters, mounted on 
swift horses, gallop through the woods to intercept it, guided 
by the sound of the horns and the cry of the dogs, and fre- 
quently succeed in shooting it. This sport is extremely 
agreeable, and proves successful on almost every occasion. 

Hoping that this account will be sufficient to induce you, 
kind reader, to go driving in our western and southern 
woods, I now conclude my chapter on Deer Hunting by in- 
forming you, that the species referred to above is the Vir- 


DEER HUNTING Poa 5 


ginian Deer, Cervus virginianus; and that, until I be able 
to present you with a full account of its habits and history, 
you may consult for information respecting it the excellent 
Fauna Americana of my esteemed friend Dr. Harlan of 


Philadelphia. 


NIAGARA 


AFTER wandering on some of our great lakes for many 
months, I bent my course towards the celebrated Falls of 
Niagara, being desirous of taking a sketch of them. ‘This 
was not my first visit to them, and I hoped it would not be 
the last. 

Artists (I know not if I can be called one) too often im- 
agine that what they produce must be excellent, and with 
that foolish idea go on spoiling much paper and canvas, 
when their time might have been better employed in a dif- 
ferent manner. But disgressions aside,—I directed my 
steps towards the Falls of Niagara, with the view of repre- 
senting them on paper, for the amusement of my family. 

Returning as I then was from a tedious journey, and pos- 
sessing little more than some drawings of rare birds and 
‘plants, I reached the tavern at Niagara Falls in such plight 
as might have deterred many an individual from obtruding 
himself upon a circle of well-clad and perhaps well-bred 
society. Months had passed since the last of my linen had 
been taken from my body, and used to clean that useful 
companion, my gun. I was in fact covered just like one 
of the poorer class of Indians, and was rendered even more 
disagreeable to the eye of civilized man, by not having, like 
them, plucked my beard, or trimmed my hair in any way. 
Had Hogarth been living, and there when I arrived, he could 
not have found a fitter subject for Robinson Crusoe. My 
beard covered my neck in front, my hair fell much lower at 
my back, the leather dress which I wore had for months stood 
in need of repair, a large knife hung at my side, a rusty tin- 
box contained my drawings and colours, and, wrapped up in 


a worn-out blanket that had served me for a bed, was buck- 
76 


NIAGARA 17 


led to my shoulders. To every one I must have seemed 
immersed in the depths of poverty, perhaps of despair. 
Nevertheless, as I cared little about my appearance during 
those happy rambles, I pushed into the sitting-room, un- 
strapped my little burden, and asked how soon breakfast 
would be ready. 

In America no person is ever refused entrance to the inns, 
at least far from cities. We know too well how many poor 
creatures are forced to make their way from other countries 
in search of employment, or to seek uncultivated land, and 
we are ever ready to let them have what they may call for. 
No one knew who I was, and the landlord looking at me 
with an eye of close scrutiny, answered that breakfast 
would be on the table as soon as the company should come 
down from their rooms. I approached this important 
personage, told him of my avocations, and convinced him 
that he might feel safe as to remuneration. From this 
moment I was, with him at least, on equal footing with every 
other person in his house. He talked a good deal of the 
many artists who had visited the Falls that season, from 
different parts, and offered to assist me, by giving such 
accommodations as I might require to finish the drawings I 
had in contemplation. He left me, and as I looked about 
the room, I saw several views of the Falls, by which I was 
so disgusted, that I suddenly came to my better senses. 
“What” thought I, “have I come here to mimic nature in 
her grandest enterprise, and add my caricature of one of 
the wonders of the world to those which I here see? No. 
—I give up the vain attempt. I will look on these mighty 
cataracts and imprint them where they alone can be repre- 
sented,—on my mind!” 

Had I taken a view, I might as well have given you what 
might be termed a regular account of the form, the height, 
the tremendous roar of these Falls; might have spoken of 
people perilling their lives by going between the rock and 
the sheet of water, calculated the density of the atmosphere 


78 NIAGARA 


in that strange position, related wondrous tales of Indians 
and their canoes having been precipitated the whole depth; 
—might have told of the narrow, rapid, and rockbound 
river that leads the waters of the Erie into those of Ontario, 
remarking en passant the Devil’s Hole and sundry other 
places or objects;—but supposing you had been there, 
my description would prove useless, and quite as puny as 
my intended view would have been for my family; and 
should you not have seen them, and are fond of contem- 
plating the most magnificent of the Creator’s works, go to 
Niagara, reader, for all the pictures you may see, all the de- 
scriptions you may read of these mighty Falls can only pro- 
duce in your mind the faint glimmer of a glow-worm 
compared with the over-powering glory of the meridian sun. 

I breakfasted amid a crowd of strangers, who gazed and 
laughed at me, paid my bill, rambled about and admired the 
Falls for a while, saw several young gentlemen sketching on 
cards the mighty mass of foaming waters, and walked to 
Buffalo, where I purchased new apparel and sheared my 
beard. I then enjoyed civilized life as much as a month 
before I had enjoyed the wildest solitudes and the darkest 
recesses of mountain and forest. 


HOSPITALITY IN THE WOODS 


Hosprrauity is a virtue, the exercise of which, although 
always agreeable to the stranger, is not always duly ap- 
preciated. ‘The traveller who has acquired celebrity, is not 
unfrequently received with a species of hospitality, which 
is so much alloyed by the obvious attention of the host to 
his own interest, that the favour conferred upon the stranger 
must have less weight, when it comes mingled with almost 
interminable questions as to his perilous adventures. An- 
other receives hospitality at the hands of persons who, pos- 
sessed of all the comforts of life, receive the way-worn 
wanderer with pomposity, lead him from one part of their 
spacious mansion to another, and bidding him good night, 
leave him to amuse himself in his solitary apartment, be- 
cause he is thought unfit to be presented to a party of 
friends. A third stumbles on a congenial spirit, who re- 
ceives him with open arms, offers him servants, horses, per- 
haps even his purse, to enable him to pursue his journey, 
and parts from him with regret. In all these cases, the 
traveller feels more or less under obligation, and is accord- 
ingly grateful. But, kind reader, the hospitality received 
from the inhabitant of the forest, who can offer only the 
shelter of his humble roof, and the refreshment of his homely 
fare, remains more deeply impressed on the memory of the 
bewildered traveller than any other. This kind of hos- 
pitailty I have myself frequently experienced in our woods, 
and now proceed to relate an instance of it. 

I had walked several hundred miles, accompanied by my 
son, then a stripling, and, coming upon a clear stream, ob- 
served a house on the opposite shore. We crossed in a 
canoe, and finding that we had arrived at a tavern, deter- 

79 


80 | HOSPITALITY IN THE WOODS 


mined to spend the night there. As we were both greatly 
fatigued, I made an arrangement with our host to be con- 
veyed in a light Jersey wagon a distance of a hundred miles, 
the period of our departure to be determined by the rising 
of the moon. Fair Cynthia, with her shorn beams, peeped 
over the forest about two hours before dawn, and our con- 
ductor, provided with a long twig of hickory, took his 
station in the fore-part of the wagon. Off we went at a 
round trot, dancing in the cart like pease in a sieve. ‘The 
road, which was just wide enough to allow us to pass, was 
full of deep ruts, and covered here and there with trunks and 
stumps, over all which we were hurried. Our conductor, 
Mr. Flint, the landlord of the tavern, boasting of his perfect 
knowledge of the country, undertook to drive us by a short- 
cut and we willingly confided ourselves to his management. 
So we jogged along, now and then deviating to double the 
fallen timber. Day commenced with the promise of fine 
weather, but several nights of white frost having occurred, 
a change was expected. To our sorrow, the change took 
place long before we got to the road again. ‘The rain fell 
in torrents; the thunder bellowed; the lightning blazed. It 
was now evening, but the storm had brought perfect night, 
black and dismal. Our cart had no cover. Cold and wet, 
we sat silent and melancholy, with no better expectation 
than that of passing the night under the little shelter the 
cart could afford us. 

To stop was considered worse than to proceed. So we 
gave the reins to the horses, with some faint hope that they 
would drag us out of our forlorn state. Of a sudden the 
steeds altered their course, and soon after we perceived the 
glimmer of a faint light in the distance, and almost at the 
same moment heard the barking of dogs. Our horses 
stopped by a high fence, and fell a-neighing, while I hal- 
looed at such a rate, that an answer was speedily obtained. 
The next moment, a flaming pine torch crossed the gloom, 
and advanced to the spot where we stood. The Negro boy 


HOSPITALITY IN THE WOODS 81 


who bore it, without waiting to question us, enjoined us to 
follow the fence, and said that Master had sent him to show 
the strangers to the house. We proceeded, much relieved, 
and soon reached the gate of a little yard, in which a small 
cabin was perceived. | 

A tall, fine-looking young man stood in the open door, 
and desired us to get out of the cart and walk in. We did 
so, when the following conversation took place. “A bad 
night this, strangers; how came you to be along the fence? 
you certainly must have lost your way, for there is no public 
road within twenty miles.” “Aye,” answered Mr. Flint, 
“sure enough we lost our way; but, thank God! we have got 
to a house, and thank yow for your reception.” ‘“Recep- 
tion!” replied the woodsman, “‘no very great thing after all; 
you are all here safe, and that’s enough. Eliza,” turning to 
his wife, “see about some victuals for the strangers, and 
you, Jupiter,” addressing the Negro lad, “bring some wood 
and mend the fire. Eliza, call the boys up, and treat the 
strangers the best way you can. Come, gentlemen, pull off 
your wet clothes, and draw to the fire. Eliza, bring some 
socks and a shirt or two.” 

For my part, kind reader, knowing my countrymen as I 
do, I was not much struck at all this; but my son, who had 
scarcely reached the age of fourteen, drew near to me, and 
observed how pleasant it was to have met with such good 
people. Mr. Flint bore a hand in getting his horses put 
under a shed. ‘The young wife was already stirring with 
so much liveliness, that to have doubted for a moment that 
all she did was not a pleasure to her would have been im- 
possible. Two Negro lads made their appearance, looked 
at us for a moment, and going out, called the dogs. Soon 
after the cries of the poultry informed us that good cheer 
wasathand. Jupiter brought more wood, the blaze of which 
illumined the cottage. Mr. Flint and our host returned, 
and we already began to feel the comforts of hospitality. 
The woodsman remarked that it was a pity we had not 


82 HOSPITALITY IN THE WOODS 


chanced to come that day three weeks; “for,” said he, “it 
was our wedding-day, and father gave us a good house- 
warming, and you might have fared better; but, however, if 
you can eat bacon and eggs, and a broiled chicken, you 
shall have that. I have no whisky in the house, but father 
has some capital cider, and I’ll go over and bring a keg of 
it.” I asked how far off his father lived. ‘Only three 
miles, Sir, and I’ll be back before Eliza has cooked your 
supper.” Off he went accordingly, and the next moment 
the galloping of his horse was heard. The rain fell in 
torrents, and now I also became struck with the kindness 
of our host. 

To all appearance the united age of the pair under whose 
roof we had found shelter did not exceed two score. Their 
means seemed barely sufficient to render them comfortable, 
but the generosity of their young hearts had no limits. The 
cabin was new. The logs of which it was formed were all 
of the tulip-tree, and were nicely pared. Every part was 
beautifully clean. Even the coarse slabs of wood that 
formed the floor looked as if newly washed and dried. 
Sundry gowns and petticoats of substantial homespun hung 
from the logs that formed one of the sides of the cabin, while 
the other was covered with articles of male attire. <A large 
spinning-wheel, with rolls of wool and cotton, occupied one 
corner. In another was a small cupboard, containing the 
little stock of new dishes, cups, plates, and tin pans. The 
table was small also, but quite new, and as bright as polished 
walnut could be. The only bed that I saw was of domestic 
manufacture, and the counterpane proved how expert the 
young wife was at spinning and weaving. A fine rifle 
ornamented the chimney-piece. ‘The fire-place was of such 
dimensions that it looked as if it had been purposely con- 
structed for holding the numerous progeny expected to re- 
sult from the happy union. 

The black boy was engaged in grinding some eomree! 
Bread was prepared by the fair hands of the bride, and 


HOSPITALITY IN THE WOODS 83 


placed on a flat board in front of the fire. The bacon and 
eggs already murmured and spluttered in the frying-pan, 
and a pair of chickens puffed and swelled on a gridiron 
over the embers, in front of the hearth. The cloth was 
laid, and every thing arranged, when the clattering of hoofs 
announced the return of the husband. In he came, bearing 
a two-gallon keg of cider. His eyes sparkled with pleasure 
as he said, “Only think, Eliza, father wanted to rob us of 
the strangers, and was coming here to ask them to his own 
house, just as if we could not give them enough ourselves ; 
but here’s the drink. Come gentlemen, sit down and help 
yourselves.” We did so, and I, to enjoy the repast, took 
a chair of the husband’s making in preference to one of those 
called Windsor, of which there were six in the cabin. 'This 
chair was bottomed with a piece of deer’s skin tightly 
stretched, and afforded a very comfortable seat. 

The wife now resumed her spinning, and the husband 
filled a jug with sparkling cider, and, seated by the blazing 
fire, was drying his clothes. The happiness he enjoyed 
beamed from his eye, as at my request he preceeded to give 
us an account of his affairs and prospects, which he did 
in the following words:—“I will be twenty-two next 
Christmas-day,” said our host; “My father came from 
Virginia when young, and settled on the large tract of land 
where he yet lives, and where with hard working he has done 
well. There were nine chidren of us. Most of them are 
married and settled in the neighbourhood. The old man 
has divided his lands among some of us, and bought others 
for the rest. The land where I am he gave me two years 
ago, and a finer piece is not easily to be found. I have 
cleared a couple of fields, and planted an orchard. Father 
gave me a stock of cattle, some hogs, and four horses, with 
two Negro boys. I camped here for most of the time when 
clearing and planting; and when about to marry the young 
woman you see at the wheel, father helped me in raising this 
hut. My wife, as luck would have it, had a Negro also, 


84 HOSPITALITY IN THE WOODS 


and we have begun the world as well off as most folks, and, 
the Lord willing, may but, gentlemen, you don’t eat; 
do help yourselves—Eliza, maybe the strangers would like 
some milk.”” The wife stopped her work, and kindly asked 
if we preferred sweet or sour milk; for you must know, 
reader, that sour milk is by some of our farmers considered 
a treat. Both sorts were produced, but, for my part, I 
chose to stick to the cider. 

Supper over, we all neared the fire, and engaged in con- 
versation. At length our kind host addressed his wife as 
follows :—“Eliza, the gentlemen would like to lie down, I 
guess. What sort of bed can you fix for them?” Eliza 
looked up with a smile, and said: “Why, Willy, we will divide 
the bedding, and arrange half on the floor, on which we can: 
sleep very well, and the gentlemen will have the best we can 
spare them.” To this arrangement I immediately objected, 
and proposed lying on a blanket by the fire; but neither 
Willy nor Eliza would listen. So they arranged a part of 
their bedding on the floor, on which, after some debate, we at 
length settled. The Negroes were sent to their own cabin, 
the young couple went to bed, and Mr. Flint lulled us all 
asleep, with a long story intended to show us how passing 
strange it was that he should have lost his way. 

“Tired nature’s sweet restorer, balmy sleep,”—-and so 
forth. But Aurora soon turned her off. Mr. Speed, our 
host, rose, went to the door, and returning assured us that 
the weather was too bad for us to attempt proceeding. I 
really believe he was heartily glad of it; but anxious to con- 
tinue our journey, I desired Mr. Flint to see about his 
horses. Eliza by this time was up too, and I observed her 
whispering to her husband, when he immediately said aloud, 
“To be sure the gentlemen will eat breakfast before they 
go, and I will show them the way to the road.” Excuses 
were of no avail. Breakfast was prepared and eaten. ‘The 
weather brightened a little, and by nine we were under way. 
Willy on horseback headed us. In a few hours, our cart 





HOSPITALITY IN THE WOODS &5 


arrived at a road, by following which we at length got to the 
main one, and parted from our woodsman with the greater 
regret that he would accept nothing from any of us. On 
the contrary, telling Mr. Flint with a smile, that he hoped 
he might some time again follow the longest track for a 
short cut, he bade us adieu, and trotted back to his fair Eliza 
and his happy home. 


THE ORIGINAL PAINTER 


‘As I was lounging one fair and very warm morning on the 
Levee at New Orleans, I chanced to observe a gentleman, 
whose dress and other accomplishments greatly attracted my 
attention. I wheeled about, and followed him for a short 
space, when, judging by every thing anonts him that he was 
a true original, I accosted him. 

But here let me give you some idea of his exterior. His 
head was covered by a straw hat, the brim of which might 
cope with those worn by the fair sex of 1830; his neck was 
exposed to the weather; the broad frill of a shirt, then 
fashionable, flapped about his breast, whilst an extraor- 
dinary collar, carefully arranged, fell over the top of his 
coat. The latter was of a light green colour, harmonizing 
well with a pair of flowing yellow nankeen trowsers, and a 
pink waistcoat, from the bosom of which, amidst a large 
bunch of the splendid flowers of the Magnolia, protruded 
part of a young alligator, which seemed more anxious to glide 
through the muddy waters of some retired swamp, than to 
spend its life swinging to and fro among the folds of the fin- 
est lawn. The gentleman held in one hand a cage full of 
richly-plumed Nonpareils, whilst in the other he sported a 
silk umbrella, on which I could plainly read “Stolen from I,” 
these words being painted in large white characters. He 
walked as if conscious of his own importance, that is, with a 
good deal of pomposity, singing “‘My love is but a lassie yet,” 
and that with such thorough imitation of the Scotch empha- 
sis, that had not his physiognomy brought to my mind a de- 
nial of his being from “within a mile of Edinburgh,” I . 


should have put him down in my journal for a true Scot. 
86 


THE ORIGINAL PAINTER 87 


But no:—his tournure, nay the very shape of his visage, 
pronounced him an American, from the farthest parts of 
our eastern Atlantic shores. 

All this raised my curiosity to such a height, that I ac- 
costed him with “Pray, Sir, will you allow me to examine 
the birds you have in that cage?” 'The gentleman stopped, 
straightened his body, almost closed his left eye, then spread 
his legs apart, and, with a look altogether quizzical, 
answered, “Birds, Sir, did you say birds?” I nodded, and 
he continued, “What the devil do you know about birds, 
Site’: 

Reader, this answer brought a blush into my face. I 
felt as if caught in a trap, for I was struck by the force of 
the gentleman’s question; which, by the way, was not much 
in discordance with a not unusual mode of granting an 
answer in the United States. Sure enough, thought I, little 
or perhaps nothing do I know of the nature of those beau- 
tiful denizens of the air; but the next moment vanity gave 
me a pinch, and urged me to conceive that I knew at least 
as much about birds as the august personage in my presence. 
“Sir,” replied I, “I am a student of nature, and admire her 
works, from the noblest figure of man to the crawling reptile 
which you have in your bosom.” ‘Ah! replied he, “a-a-a 
naturalist, I presume!” “Just so, my good Sir,” was my 
answer. ‘The gentleman gave me the cage; and I observed 
from the corner of one of my eyes, that his were cunningly 
inspecting my face. I examined the pretty finches as long 
as I wished, returned the cage, made a low bow, and was 
about to proceed on my walk, when this odd sort of being 
asked me a question quite accordant with my desire of 
knowing more of him: “Will you come with me, Sir? 
If you will, you shall see some more curious birds, some of 
which are from different parts of the world. I keep quite a 
collection.» I assured him I should feel gratified, and ac- 
companied him to his lodgings. 

We entered a long room, where, to my surprise, the first 


88 THE ORIGINAL PAINTER 


objects that attracted my attention were a large easel, 
with a full length unfinished portrait upon it, a table with 
pallets and pencils, and a number of pictures of various 
sizes placed along the walls. Several cages containing 
birds were hung near the windows, and two young gentlemen 
were busily engaged in copying some finished portraits. 
I was delighted with all*I saw. Each picture spoke for 
itself: the drawing, the colouring, the handling, the com- 
position, and the keeping—all proved, that, whoever was 
the artist, he certainly was possessed of superior talents. 

I did not know that my companion was the painter of the 
picture, but, as we say in America, I strongly guessed so, 
and without waiting’ any longer, paid him the compliments 
which I thought he fairly deserved. ‘‘Aye,” said he, “the 
world is pleased with my work, I wish I were so too, but 
time and industry are required, as well as talents, to make 
a good artist. If you will examine the birds, I'll to my 
labour.” So saying, the artist took up his pallet, and was 
searching for ae rest-stick, but not finding the one with 
which he usually supported his hand, he drew the rod of a 
gun, and was about to sit, when he suddenly threw down 
his implements on the table, and, taking the gun, walked to 
me, and asked if “I had ever seen a percussion-lock.” I 
had not, for that improvement was not yet in vogue. He 
not only explained the superiority of the lock in question, 
but undertook to prove that it was capable of acting 
effectually under water. The bell was rung, a flat basin 
of water was produced, the gun was charged with powder, 
and the lock fairly immersed. The report terrified the 
birds, causing them to beat against the gilded walls of their 
prisons. I remarked jthis to the artist. He replied, “The 
devil take the birds!—more of them in the market: why, 
Sir, I wish to show you that I am a markman as well as a 
painter.” The easel was cleared of the large picture, rolled 
to the farther end of the room, and placed against the wall. 
The gun was loaded in a trice, and the painter, counting ten 


THE ORIGINAL PAINTER 89 


steps from the easel, and taking aim at the supporting-pin 
on the left, fired. The bullet struck the head of the wooden 
pin fairly, and sent the splinters in all directions. “A 
bad shot, Sir,” said this extraordinary person, “the ball 
ought to have driven the pin farther into the hole, but it 
‘struck on one side; I'll try at the hole itself.” After re- 
loading his piece, the artist took aim again, and fired. The 
bullet this time had accomplished its object, for it had 
passed through the aperture, and hit the wall behind. 
“Mr. » ring the bell and close the windows,” said 
the painter, and turning to me, continued, “Sir, I will 
show you the ne plus ultra of shooting.” I was 
quite amazed, and yet so delighted, that I bowed my 
assent. A servant having appeared, a lighted candle 
was ordered. When it arrived, the artist placed it 
‘in a proper position, and retiring some yards, put out the 
light with a bullet, in the manner which I have elsewhere, 
in this volume, described. When light \was restored, I ob- 
served the uneasiness of the poor little alligator, as it strove 
to effect its escape from the artist’s waistcoat. I mentioned 
this to him. “True, true,” he replied, “I had quite forgot 
the reptile, he shall have a dram;” and unbuttoning his 
vest, unclasped a small chain, and placed the alligator in 
the basin of water on the table. 

Perfectly satisfied with the acquaintance which I had 
formed with this renowned artist, I wished to withdraw, 
fearing I might inconvenience him by my presence. But 
my time was not yet come. He bade me sit down, and pay- 
ing no more attention to the young pupils in the room than 
if they had been a couple of .cabbages, said, “If you have 
leisure and will stay awhile, I will show you how I paint, 
and will relate to you an incident of my life, which will 
prove to you how sadly situated an artist is at times.” In 
full expectation that more eccentricities were to be wit- 
nessed, or that the story would prove a valuable one, even 
to a naturalist, who is seldom a painter, I seated myself at 





90 THE ORIGINAL PAINTER 


his side, and observed with interest how adroitly he trans- 
ferred the colours from his glistening pallet to the canvas 
before him. I was about to compliment him on his facility 
of touch, when he spoke as follows: 

“This is, Sir, or, I ought to say rather, this will be the 
portrait of one of our best navy officers, a man as brave as 
Cesar, and as good a sailor as ever walked the deck of a 
seventy-four. Do you paint, Sir?” I replied “Not yet.” 
“Not yet! what do you mean?” “I mean what I say: I in- 
tend to paint as soon as I can draw better than I do at 
present.” “Good,” said he, “you are quite right, to draw 
is the first object; but, Sir, if you should ever paint, and 
paint portraits, you will often meet with difficulties. For 
instance, the brave Commodore, of whom this is the portrait, 
although an excellent man at every thing else, is the worst 
sitter I ever saw; and the incident I promised to relate to 
you, as one curious enough, is connected with his bad mode 
of sitting. Sir, I forgot to ask if you would take any re- 
freshments—a glass of wine, or .’ JT assured him I 
needed nothing more than his agreeable company, and he 
proceeded. ‘Well, Sir, the first morning that the Commo- 
dore came to sit, he was in full uniform, and with his’sword 
at his side. After a few moments of conversation, and 
when all was ready on my part, I bade him ascend the throne, 
place himself in the attitude which I contemplated, and 
assume an air becoming an officer of the navy.” He mounted, 
placed himself as I had desired, but merely looked at me as 
if I had been a block of stone. I waited a few minutes, 
when, observing no change on his placid countenance, I 
ran the chalk over the canvas to form a rough outline. 
This done, I looked up to his face again, and opened a 
conversation which I thought would warm his warlike 
nature; but in vain. I waited, and waited, talked and 
talked, until my patience—Sir, you must know I am not 
overburdened with phlegm—being almost run out, I rose, 
threw my pallet and brushes on the floor, stamped, walk- 





THE ORIGINAL PAINTER 91 


ing to and fro about the room, and vociferated such calami- 
ties against our navy, that I startled the good Commodore. 
He still looked at me with a placid countenance, and, as he 
has told me since, thought I had lost my senses. But I 
observed him all the while, and, fully as determined to carry 
my point as he would be to carry off an enemy’s ship, I 
gave my oaths additional emphasis, addressed him as a rep- 
resentative of the navy, and, steering somewhat clear of 
personal insult, played off my batteries against the craft. 
The Commodore walked up to me, placed his hand on the 
hilt of his sword, and told me, in a resolute maner, that 
if I intended to insult the navy, he would instantly cut off 
my ears. His features exhibited all the spirit and animation 
of his noble nature, and as I had now succeeded in rousing 
the lion, I judged it time to retreat. So, changing my tone, 
I begged his pardon, and told him he now looked precisely 
as I wished to represent him. He laughed, and returning 
to his seat, assumed a bold countenance. And now, Sir, 
see the picture?” 

At some future period, I may present you with other 
instances of the odd ways in which this admired artist gave 
animation to his sitters. For the present we shall leave 
him finishing the Commodore, while we return to our proper 
studies. 


LOUISVILLE IN KENTUCKY 


LovisviLLe in Kentucky has always been a favourite place 
of mine. The beauty of its situation, on the banks of 
La Belle Riviere, just at the commencement of the famed 
rapids, commonly called the Falls of the Ohio, had attracted 
my notice, and when I removed to it, immediately after my 
marriage, I found it more agreeable than ever. ‘The 
prospect from the town is such that it would please even 
the eye of a Swiss. It extends along the river for seven 
or eight miles, and is bounded on the opposite side by a fine 
range of low mountains, known by the name of the Silver 
Hills. The rumbling sound of the waters, as they tumble 
over the rock-paved bed of the rapids, is at all times sooth- 
ing to the ear. Fish and game are abundant. But, above 
all, the generous hospitality of the inhabitants, and the 
urbanity of their manners, had induced me to fix upon it 
as a place of residence; and I did so with more pleasure 
when I found that my wife was as much gratified as myself, 
by the kind attentions which were shown to us, utter 
strangers as we were, on our arrival. 

No sooner had we landed, and made known our intention 
of remaining, than we were introduced to the principal 
inhabitants of the place and its vicinity, although we had 
not brought a single letter of introduction, and could not 
but see, from their unremitting kindness, that the Virginian 
spirit of hospitality displayed itself in all the words and 
actions of our newly-formed friends. I wish here to name 
those persons who so unexpectedly came forward to render 
our stay among them agreeable, but feel at a loss with whom 
to begin, so equally deserving are they of our gratitude. 
The Croghans, the Clarks (our great traveller included), 

92 


LOUISVILLE IN KENTUCKY 93 


the Berthouds, the Galts, the Maupins, the Tarascons, the 
Beals, and the Booths, form but a small portion of the long 
list which I could give. The matrons acted like mothers 
towards my wife, the daughters proved agreeable associates, 
and the husbands and sons were friends and companions 
to me. If I absented myself on business or otherwise, for 
any length of time, my wife was removed to the hospitable 
abode of some friends in the neighbourhood until my re- 
turn, and then I was several times obliged to spend a week 
or more with these good people, before they could be pre- 
vailed upon to let us return to our own residence. We 
lived for two years at Louisville, where we enjoyed many 
of the best pleasures which this life can afford; and when- 
ever we have since chanced to pass that way, we have found 
the kindness of our former friends unimpaired. 

During my residence at Louisville, much of my time was 
employed in my ever favourite pursuits. I drew and noted 
the habits of every thing which I procured, and my col- 
lection was daily augmenting, as every individual who car- 
ried a gun always sent me such birds or quadrupeds as he 
thought might prove useful to me. My portfolios already 
contained upwards of two hundred drawnings. Dr. W. C. 
Galt, being a botanist, was often consulted by me, as well 
as his friend Dr. Ferguson. M. Gilly drew beautifully, 
and was fond of my pursuits. So was my friend, and now 
relative, N. Berthoud. As I have already said, our time 
was spent in the most agreeable manner, through the 
hospitable friendship of our acquaintance. 

One fair morning I was surprised by the sudden entrance 
into our counting-room of Mr. Alexander Wilson, the cele- 
brated author of the “American Ornithology,” of whose 
existence I had never until that moment been apprised. 
This happened in March 1810. How well do I remember 
him, as he then walked up to me! His long, rather hooked 
nose, the keenness of his eyes, and his prominent cheek- 
bones, stamped his countenance with a peculiar character. 


94 LOUISVILLE IN KENTUCKY 


His dress, too, was of a kind not usually seen in that part 
of the country; a short coat, trowsers, and a waistcoat of 
grey cloth. His stature was not above the middle size. 
He had two volumes under his arm, and as he approached 
the table at which I was working, I thought I discovered 
something like astonishment in his countenance. He, how- 
ever, immediately proceeded to disclose the object of his 
visit, which was to procure subscriptions for his work. He 
opened his books, explained the nature of his occupations, 
and requested my patronage. 

I felt surprised and gratified at the sight of his volumes, 
turned over a few of the plates, and had already taken a 
pen to write my name in his favour, when my partner 
rather abruptly said to me in French, “My dear Audubon, 
what induces you to subscribe to this work? Your draw- 
ings are certainly far better, and again, you must know 
as much of the habits of American birds as this gentleman.” 
Whether Mr. Wilson understood French or not, or if the 
suddenness with which I paused, disappointed him, I can- 
not tell; but I clearly perceived that he was not pleased. 
Vanity and the encomiums of my friend prevented me 
from subscribing. Mr. Wilson asked me if I had many 
drawings of birds. I rose, took down a large portfolio, laid 
it on the table, and showed him, as I would show any other 
person fond of such subjects, the whole of the contents, 
with the same patience with which he had shown me his 
own engravings. 

His surprise appeared great, as he told me he never 
had the most distant idea that any other individual than 
himself had been engaged in forming such a collection. He 
asked me if it was my intention to publish, and when I 
answered in the negative, his surprise seemed to increase. 
And, truly, such was not my intention; for, until long 
after, when I met the Prince of Musignano in Philadelphia, 
I had not the least idea of presenting the fruits of my labours 
to the world. Mr. Wilson now examined my drawings with 


LOUISVILLE IN KENTUCKY 95 


care, asked if I should have any objections to lending him 
a few during his stay, to which I replied that I had none: 
he then bade me good morning, not, however, until I had 
made arrangement to explore the woods in the vicinity 
along with him, and had promised to procure for him some 
birds, of which I had drawings in my collection, but which 
he had never seen. 

It happened that he lodged in the same house with us, but 
his retired habits, I thought, exhibited either a strong 
feeling of discontent, or a decided melancholy. ‘The Scotch 
airs which he played sweetly on his flute made me melancholy 
too, and I felt for him. I presented him to my wife and 
friends, and seeing that he was all enthusiasm, exerted my- 
self as much as was in my power, to procure for him the 
specimens which he wanted. We hunted together, and ob- 
tained birds which he had never before seen; but I did not 
subscribe to his work, for, even at that time, my collection 
was greater than his. Thinking that perhaps he might be 
pleased to publish the result of my researches, I offered 
them to him, merely on condition that what I had drawn, 
or might afterwards draw and send to him, should be 
mentioned in his work, as coming from my pencil. I at 
the same time offered to open a correspondence with him, 
which I thought might prove beneficial to us both. He 
made no reply to either proposal, and before many days 
had elapsed, left Louisville, on his way to New Orleans, 
little knowing how much his talents were appreciated in our 
little town, at least by myself and my friends. 

Some time elapsed, during which I never heard of him, 
or of his work. At length, having occasion to go to 
Philadelphia, I, immediately after my arrival there, inquired 
for him, and paid him a visit. He was then drawing a 
White-headed Eagle. He received me with civility, and took 
me to the Exhibition Rooms of Rembrandt Peale, the artist, 
who had then portrayed Napoleon crossing the Alps. Mr. 
Wilson spoke not of birds or drawings. Feeling, as I was 


96 LOUISVILLE IN KENTUCKY 


forced to do, that my company was not agreeable, I parted 
from him; and after that I never saw him again. But 
judge of my astonishment some time after, when, on reading 
the thirty-ninth page of the ninth volume of American 
Ornithology, I found in it the following paragraph: 


“March 23d, 1810.—I bade adieu to Louisville, to which place I 
had four letters of recommendation, and was taught to expect much 
of every thing there; but neither received one act of civility from 
those to whom I was recommended, one subscriber, nor one new 
bird; though I delivered my letters, ransacked the woods repeatedly, 
and visited all the characters likely to subscribe. Science or liter- 
ature has not one friend in this place.” 


THE ECCENTRIC NATURALIST 


“Wat an odd looking fellow!” said I to myself, as while 
walking by the river, I observed a man landing from a boat, 
with what I thought a bundle of dried clover on his back; 
“how the boatmen stare at him! surely he must be an 
original!” He ascended with a rapid step, and approaching 
me, asked if I could point out the house in which Mr. Audu- 
bon resided. ‘Why, I am the man,” said I, ‘“‘and will gladly 
lead you to my dwelling.” 

The traveller rubbed his hands together with delight, 
and drawing a letter from his pocket, handed it to me with- 
out any remark. I broke the seal and read as follows: 
““My dear Audubon, I send you an odd fish, which you may 
prove to be undescribed, and hope you will do so in your 
next letter. Believe me always your friend B.” With 
all the simplicity of a woodsman I asked the bearer where 
the odd fish was, when M. de T. (for, kind reader, the in- 
dividual in my presence was none else than that renowned 
naturalist) smiled, rubbed his hands, and with the greatest 
good humour said, “I am that odd fish I presume, Mr. 
Audubon.” I felt confounded and blushed, but contrived 
to stammer an apology. 

We soon reached the house, when I presented my learned 
guest to my family, and was ordering a servant to go to the 
boat for M. de T.’s luggage, when he told me he had none 
but what he brought on his back. He then loosened the 
pack of weeds which had first drawn my attention. The 
ladies were a little surprised, but I checked their critical 
glances for the moment. The naturalist pulled off his 
shoes, and while engaged in drawing his stockings, not up, 


but down, in order to cover the holes about the heels, told 
97 


98 THE ECCENTRIC NATURALIST 


us in the gayest mood imaginable that he had walked a 
great distance, and had only taken a passage on board the 
ark, to be put on this shore, and that he was sorry his apparel 
had suffered so much from his late journey. Clean clothes 
were offered, but he would not accept them, and it was 
with evident reluctance that he performed the lavations 
usual on such occasions before he sat down to dinner. 

At table, however, his agreeable conversation made us all 
forget his singular appearance; and, indeed, it was only as 
we strolled together in the garden that his attire struck me 
as exceedingly remarkable. A long loose coat of yellow 
nankeen, much the worse of the many rubs it had got in its 
time, and stained all over with the juice of plants, hung 
loosely about him like a sack. A waistcoat of the same, with 
enormous pockets, and buttoned up to the chin, reached 
below over a pair of tight pantaloons, the lower parts of 
which were buttoned down to the ancles. His beard was as 
long as I have known my own to be during some of my 
peregrinations, and his lank black hair hung loosely over 
his shoulders. His forehead was so broad and prominent 
that any tyro in phrenology would instantly have pro- 
nounced it the residence of a mind of strong powers. His 
words impressed an assurance of rigid truth, and as he di- 
rected the conversation to the study of the natural sciences, 
I listened to him with as much delight as Telemachus could 
have listened to Mentor. He had come to visit me, he 
said, expressly for the purpose of seeing my drawings, hav- 
ing been told that my representations of birds were accom- 
panied with those of shrubs and plants, and he was desirous 
of knowing whether I might chance to have in my collection 
any with which he was unacquainted. I observed some 
degree of impatience in his request to be allowed at once to 
see what I had. We returned to the house, when I opened 
my portfolios and laid them before him. 

He chanced to turn over the drawing of a plant quite 
new to him. After inspecting it closely, he shook his head, 


THE ECCENTRIC NATURALIST 99 


and told me no such plant existed in nature ;—for M. de T., 
although a highly scientific man, was suspicious to a fault, 
and believed such plants only to exist as he had himself 
seen, or such as, having been discovered of old, had, accord- 
ing to Father Malebranche’s expression, acquired a “‘vener- 
able beard.” I told my guest that the plant was common in 
the immediate neighbourhood, and that I should show it 
him on the morrow. “And why to-morrow, Mr. Audubon? 
let us go now.” We did so, and on reaching the bank of the 
river, I pointed to the plant. I thought M. de T. had 
gone mad. He plucked the plants one ofter an other, 
danced, hugged me in his arms, and exultingly told me 
that he had got, not merely a new species, but a new genus. 
When we returned home, the naturalist opened the bundle 
which he had brought on his back, and took out a journal 
rendered water-proof by means of a leather case, together 
with a small parcel of linen, examined the new plant, and 
wrote its description. The examination of my drawings 
then went on. You would be pleased to hear his criticisms, 
which were of the greatest advantage to me, for, being well 
acquainted with books as well as with nature, he was well 
fitted to give me advice. 

It was summer, and the heat was so great that the windows 
were all open. The light of the candles attracted many 
insects, among which was observed a large species of 
Scarabeus. I caught one, and, aware of his inclination to 
believe only what he should himself see, I showed him the 
Insect, and assured him it was so strong that it would crawl 
on the table with the candlestick on its back. “I should 
like to see the experiment made, Mr. Audubon,” he replied. 
Accordingly it was made, and the insect moved about, drag- 
ging its burden so as to make the candlestick change its 
position as if by magic, until coming upon the edge of the 
table, it dropped on the floor, took to wing, and made its 
escape. | 

When it waxed late, I showed him to the apartment in- 


100 THE ECCENTRIC NATURALIST 


tended for him during his stay, and endeavoured to render 
him comfortable, leaving him writing materials in abundance. 
I was indeed heartily glad to have a naturalist under my 
roof. We had all retired to rest. Every person I imagined 
was in deep slumber save myself, when of a sudden I heard 
a great uproar in the naturalist’s room. I got up, reached 
the place in a few moments, and opened the door, when, to 
my astonishment I saw my guest running about the room 
naked, holding the handle of my favorite violin, the body 
of which he had battered to pieces against the walls in 
attempting to kill the bats which had entered by the open 
window, probably attracted by the insects flying around 
his candle. I stood amazed, but he continued jumping and 
running round and round, until he was fairly exhausted: 
when he begged me to procure one of the animals for him, 
as he felt convinced they belonged to ‘‘a new species.” Al- 
though I was convinced of the contrary, I took up the 
bow of my demolished Cremona, and administering a smart 
tap to each of the bats as it came up, soon got specimens 
enough. The war ended, I again bade him good night, 
but could not help observing the state of the room. It 
was strewed with plants, which it would seem he had 
arranged into groups, but which were now scattered about 
in confusion. “Never mind, Mr. Audubon,” quoth the 
eccentric naturalist, “never mind, I'll soon arrange them 
again. I have the bats, and that’s enough.” 

Several days passed, during which we followed our several 
occupations. M. de T. searched the woods for plants, and 
I for birds. He also followed the margins of the Ohio, 
and picked up many shells, which he greatly extolled. 
With us, I told him, they were gathered into heaps to be 
converted into lime. ‘Lime! Mr. Audubon; why, they are 
worth a guinea a piece in any part of Europe.” One day, 
as I was returning from a hut in a cane-brake, he observed 
that I was wet and spattered with mud, and desired me to 


THE ECCENTRIC NATURALIST 101 


show him the interior of one of these places, which he said 
he had never visited. 

The Cane formerly grew spontaneously over the greater 
portions of the State of Kentucky and other western 
districts of our Union, as well as in many farther south. 
Now, however, cultivation, the introduction of cattle and 
horses, and other circumstances connected with the progress 
of civilization, have greatly altered the face of the country, 
and reduced the cane within comparatively small limits. 
It attains a height of from twelve to thirty feet, and a 
diameter of from one to two inches, and grows in great 
patches resembling osier-holts, in which occur plants of all 
sizes. The plants frequently grow so close together, and 
in course of time become so tangled, as to present an almost 
impenetrable thicket. A portion of ground thus covered 
with canes is called a Cane-brake. 

If you picture to yourself one of these cane-brakes grow- 
ing beneath the gigantic trees that form our western forests, 
interspersed with vines of many species, and numberless 
plants of every description, you may conceive how difficult 
it is for one to make his way through it, especially after a 
heavy shower of rain or a fall of sleet, when the traveller, 
in forcing his way through, shakes down upon himself 
such quantities of water, as soon reduce him to a state of the 
utmost discomfort. The hunters often cut little paths 
through the thickets with their knives, but the usual mode 
_of passing through them is by pushing one’s self backward, 
and wedging a way between the stems. ‘To follow a bear or 
a cougar pursued by dogs through these brakes, is a task, 
the accomplishment of which may be imagined, but of the 
difficulties and dangers accompanying which I cannot easily 
give an adequate representation. 

The canes generally grow on the richest soil, and are 
particularly plentiful along the margins of the great western 
rivers. Many of our new settlers are fond of forming farms 


102 THE ECCENTRIC NATURALIST 


in their immediate vicinity, as the plant is much relished 
by all kinds of cattle and horses, which feed upon it at all 
seasons, and again, because these brakes are plentifully 
stocked with game of various kinds. It sometimes happens 
that the farmer clears a portion of the brake. This is 
done by cutting the stems, which are fistular and knotted, 
like those of other grasses, with a large knife or cutlass. 
They are afterwards placed in heaps, and when partially 
dried set fire to. ‘The moisture contained between the joints 
is converted into steam, which causes the cane to burst 
with a smart report, and when a whole mass is crackling, 
the sounds resemble discharges of musquetry. Indeed, I 
have been told that travellers floating down the rivers, and 
unacquainted with these circumstances, have been induced 
to pull their oars with redoubled rigour, apprehending the 
attack of a host of savages ready to scalp every one of 
the party. 

A day being fixed, we left home after an early breakfast, 
crossed the Ohio, and entered the woods. I had determined 
that my companion should view a cane-brake in all its 
perfection, and after leading him several miles in a direct 
course, came upon as fine a sample as existed in that part of 
the country. We entered, and for’some time proceeded 
without much difficutly, as I led the way, and cut down the 
canes which were most likely to incommode him. ‘The 
difficulties gradually increased, so that we were presently 
obliged to turn our backs to the foe, and push ourselves on 
the best way we could. My companion stopped here and 
there to pick up a ‘plant and examine it. After a while 
we chanced to come upon the top of a fallen tree, which so 
obstructed our passage that we were on the eve of going 
round, instead of thrusting ourselves through amongst the 
branches, when from its bed, in the centre of the tangled 
mass, forth rushed a bear, with such force, and snuffing 
the air in so frightful a manner, that M. de T. became 
suddenly terrorstruck, and, in his haste to escape, made 


THE ECCENTRIC NATURALIST 103 


a desperate attempt to run, but fell amongst the canes in 
such a way, that he looked as if pinioned. Perceiving 
him jammed in between the stalks, and thoroughly fright- 
ened, I could not refrain from laughing at the ridiculous 
exhibition which he made. My gaiety, however, was not 
very pleasing to the savant, who called out for aid, which 
was at once administered. Gladly would he have retraced 
his steps, but I was desirous that he should be able to de- 
scribe a cane-brake, and enticed him to follow me, by tell- 
ing him that our worst difficulties were nearly over. We 
proceeded, for by this time the bear was out of hearing. 
The way became more and more tangled. I saw with 
delight that a heavy cloud, portentous of a thunder gust, 
was approaching. In the mean time, I kept my companion 
in such constant difficulties, that he now panted, perspired, 
and seemed almost overcome by fatique. The thunder 
began to rumble, and soon after a dash of heavy rain 
drenched us in a few minutes. The withered particles of 
leaves and bark attached to the cane stuck to our clothes. 
We received many scratches from briars, and now and then a 
twitch from a nettle. M. de TT. seriously inquired if 
we should ever get alive out of the horrible situation in which 
we were. I spoke of courage and patience, and told him I 
hoped we should soon get to the margin of the brake, which, 
however, I knew to be two miles distant. I made him rest, 
and gave him a mouthful of brandy from my flask; after 
which we proceeded on our slow and painful march. He 
threw away all his plants, emptied his pockets of the fungi, 
lichens, and mosses which he had thrust into them, and 
finding himself much lightened, went on for thirty or forty 
yards with a better grace. But, enough—I led the 
naturalist first one way, then another, until I had nearly 
lost myself in the brake, although I was well acquainted 
with it, kept him tumbling and crawling on his hands and 
knees, until long after mid-day, when we at length reached 
the edge of the river. I blew my horn, and soon showed 


104 THE ECCENTRIC NATURALIST 


my companion a boat coming to our rescue. We were 
ferried over, and, on reaching the house, found more 
agreeable occupation in replenishing our empty coffers. 

M. de T’. remained with us for three weeks, and collected 
multitudes of plants, shells, bats, and fishes, but never again 
expressed a desire of visiting a cane-brake. We were 
perfectly reconciled to his oddities, and, finding him a most 
agreeable and intelligent companion, hoped that his sojourn 
might be of long duration. But, one evening when tea 
was prepared, and we expected him to join the family, he 
was nowhere to be found. His grasses and other valuables 
were all removed from his room. The night was spent in 
searching for him in the neighbourhood. No eccentric 
naturalist could be discovered. Whether he had perished 
in a swamp, or had been devoured by a bear or a gar-fish, 
or had taken to his heels, were matters of conjecture; nor 
was it until some weeks after that a letter from him, thank- 
ing us for our attention, assured me of his safety. 


SCIPIO AND THE BEAR 


Tuer Black Bear (Ursus americanus), however clumsy in 
appearance, is active, vigilant, and persevering; possesses 
great strength, courage, and address; and undergoes with 
little injury the greatest fatigues and hardships in avoiding 
the pursuit of the hunter. Like the Deer, it changes its 
haunts with the seasons, and for the same reason, namely, 
the desire of obtaining suitable food, or of retiring to the 
more inaccessible parts, where it can pass the time in 
security, unobserved by man, the most dangerous of its 
enemies. During the spring months it searches for food 
in the low, rich, alluvial lands that border the rivers, or by 
the margins of such inland lakes as on account of their 
small size, are called by us ponds. There it ‘procures 
abundance of succulent roots, and of the tender juicy stems 
of plants, upon which it chiefly feeds at the season. During 
the summer heat, it enters the gloomy swamps, passes much 
of its time in wallowing in the mud, like a hog, and contents 
itself with crayfish, roots, and nettles, now and then, when 
hard pressed by hunger, seizing on a young pig, or perhaps 
a sow, or even a calf. As soon as the different kinds of 
berries which grow on the mountain begin to ripen, the 
Bears betake themselves to the high grounds, followed by 
their cubs. In such retired parts of the country where there 
are no hilly grounds, it pays visits to the maize fields, 
which it ravages for a while. After this, the various species 
of nuts, acorns, grapes, and other forest fruits, that form 
what in the Western Country is called mast, attract its 
attention. ‘The Bear is then seen rambling singly through 
the woods to gather this harvest, not forgetting meanwhile 
to rob every Bee-tree it meets with, Bears being, as you 


well know, expert at this operation. You also know that 
a 105 


106 SCIPIO AND THE BEAR 


they are good climbers, and may have been told, or at least 
may now be told, that the Black Bear now and then houses 
itself in the hollow trunks of the larger trees for weeks to- 
gether, when it is said to suck its paws. You are probably 
not aware of a habit in which it indulges, and which, being 
curious, must be interesting to you. 

At one season, the Black Bear may be seen examining the 
lower part of the trunk of a tree for several minutes with 
much attention, at the same time looking around, and 
snuffing the air, to assure itself that no enemy is near. It 
then raises itself on its hind legs, approaches the trunk, em- 
braces it with its fore legs, and scratches the bark with its 
teeth and claws for several minutes in continuance. Its 
jaws clash against each other, until a mass of foam runs 
down on both sides of the mouth. After this it continues 
its rambles. 

In various portions of our country, many of our woods- 
men and hunters who have seen the Bear performing the 
singular operation just described, imagine that it does so 
for the purpose of leaving behind it an indication of its size 
and power. ‘They measure the height at which the scratches 
are made, and in this manner can, in fact, form an estimate 
of the magnitude of the individual. My own opinion, how- 
ever, is different. It seems to me that the Bear scratches 
the trees, not for the purpose of showing its size or its 
strength, but merely for that of sharpening its teeth and 
claws, to enable it better to encounter a rival of its own 
species during the amatory season. The Wild Boar of 
Europe clashes its tusks and scrapes the earth with its feet, 
and the Deer rubs its antlers against the lower part of the 
stems of young trees or bushes, for the same purpose. 

Being one night sleeping in the house of a friend, I was 
wakened by a negro servant bearing a light, who gave me 
a note, which he said his master had just received. I ran 
my eye over the paper, and found it to be a communica- 
tion from a neighbour, requesting my friend and myself to 


SCIPIO AND THE BEAR 107 


join him as soon as possible, and assist in killing some Bears 
at that moment engaged in destroying his corn. I was not 
long in dressing, you may be assured, and on entering the 
parlour, found my friend equipt, and only waiting for some 
bullets, which a negro was employed in casting. ‘The over- 
seer’s horn was heard calling up the negroes from their 
different cabins. Some were already engaged in saddling 
our horses, whilst others were gathering all the cur-dogs of 
the plantation. All was bustle. Before half an hour had 
elapsed, four stout negro men, armed with axes and knives, 
and mounted on strong nags of their own (for you must 
know, kind reader, that many of our slaves rear horses, 
cattle, pigs and poultry, which are exclusively their own 
property), were following us at a round gallop through the 
woods, as we made directly for the neighbour’s plantation, 
a little more than five miles off. 

The night was none of the most favourable, a drizzling 
rain rendering the atmosphere thick and rather sultry; 
but as we were well acquainted with the course, we soon 
reached the house, where the owner was waiting our arrival. 
There were now three of us armed with guns, half a dozen 
servants, and a good pack of dogs of all kinds. We jogged 
on towards the detached field in which the Bears were at 
work. ‘The owner told us that for some days several of these 
animals had visited his corn, and that a negro who was sent 
every afternoon to see at what part of the enclosure they 
entered, had assured him there were at least five in the field 
that night. A plan of attack was formed: the bars at the 
usual gap of the fence were to be put down without noise; 
the men and dogs were to divide, and afterwards proceed 
so as to surround the Bears, when, at the sounding of our 
horns, every one was to charge towards the center of the 
field, and shout as loudly as possible, which it was judged 
would so intimidate the animals, as to induce them to seek 
refuge upon the dead trees with which the field was still 
partially covered. 


108 SCIPIO AND THE BEAR 


The plan succeeded. The horns sounded, the horses 
galloped forward, the men shouted, the dogs barked and 
howled. ‘The shrieks of the negroes were enough to frighten 
a legion of Bears, and those in the field took to flight, so that 
by the time we reached the centre then were heard hurrying 
towards the tops of the trees. Fires were immediately 
lighted by the negroes. The drizzling rain had ceased, the 
sky cleared, and the glare of the crackling fires proved of 
great assistance to us. The Bears had been so terrified, that 
we now saw several of them crouched at the junction of the 
larger boughs with the trunks. Two were immediately 
shot down. 'They were cubs of no great size, and being 
already half dead, we left them to the dogs, which quickly 
dispatched them. 

We were anxious to procure as much sport as possible, 
and having observed one of the Bears, which from its size 
we conjectured to be the mother, ordered the negroes to 
cut down the tree on which it was perched, when it was 
intended the dogs should have a tug with it, while we should 
support them, and assist in preventing the bear from escap- 
ing by wounding it in one of the hind legs. The surrounding 
woods now echoed to the blows of the axemen. The tree 
was large and tough, having been girded more than two 
years, and the operation of felling it seemed extremely 
tedious. However, it began to vibrate at each stroke; a 
few inches alone now supported it; and in a short time it 
came crashing to the ground, in so awful a manner that 
‘Bruin must doubtless have felt the shock as severely as we 
should feel a shake of the globe produced by the sudden 
collision of a comet. 

The dogs rushed to the charge, and harassed the Bear 
on all sides. We had remounted, and now surrounded the 
poor animal. As its life depended upon its courage and 
strength, it exercised both in the most energetic manner. 
Now and then it seized a dog, and killed him by a single 


SCIPIO AND THE BEAR 109 


stroke. At another time, a well administered blow of one of 
its fore-legs sent an assailant off yelping so piteously, that 
he might be looked upon as hors de combat. A cur had 
daringly ventured to seize the Bear by the snout, and was 
seen hanging to it, covered with blood, whilst a dozen or 
more scrambled over its back. Now and then the infuriated 
animal was seen to cast a revengeful glance at some of the 
party, and we had already determined to dispatch it, when, 
to our astonishment, it suddenly shook off all the dogs, and 
before we could fire, charged upon one of the negroes, who 
was mounted on a pied horse. ‘The Bear seized the steed 
with teeth and claws, and clung to its breast. The terrified 
horse snorted and plunged. ‘The rider, an athletic young 
man, and a capital horseman, kept his seat, although only 
saddled on a sheep’s skin tightly girthed, and requested 
his master not to fire at the bear. Notwithstanding his 
coolness and courage, our anxiety for his safety was raised 
to the highest pitch, especially when in a moment we saw 
rider and horse come to the ground together; but we were 
instantly relieved on witnessing the masterly manner in which 
Scipio dispatched his adversary, by laying open his skull 
with a single well-directed blow of his axe, when a deep 
growl announced the death of the Bear, and the valorous 
negro sprung to his feet unhurt. 

Day dawned, and we renewed our search. Two of the 
remaining Bears were soon discovered, lodged in a tree about 
a hundred yards from the spot where the last one had been 
overpowered. On approaching them in a circle, we found 
that they manifested no desire to come down, and we resolved 
to try smoking. We surrounded the tree with a pile of 
brushwood and large branches. ‘The flames ascended and 
caught hold of the dry bark. At length the tree assumed 
the appearance of a pillar of flame. 'The Bears mounted to 
the top branches. When they had reached the uppermost, 
they were seen to totter, and soon after, the branch crack- 


110 SCIPIO AND THE BEAR 


ing and snapping across, they came to the ground, bringing 
with them a mass of broken twigs. They were cubs, and 
the dogs soon worried them to death. 

The party returned to the house in triumph. Scipio’s 
horse, being severely wounded, was let loose in the field, to 
repair his strength by eating the corn. A cart was after- 
wards sent for the game. But before we had left the field, 
the horses, dogs, and bears, together with the fires, had 
destroyed more corn within a few hours, than the poor 
bear and her cubs had, during the whole of their visits. 


COLONEL BOON 


Danie. Boon, or, as he was usually called in the western 
country, Colonel Boon, happened to spend a night with me 
under the same roof, more than twenty years ago. We had 
returned from a shooting excursion, in the course of which 
his extraordinary skill in the management of the rifle had 
been fully displayed. On :retiring to the ‘room appro- 
priated to that remarkable individual and myself for the 
night, I felt anxious to know more of his exploits and adven- 
tures than I did, and accordingly took the liberty of propos- 
Ing numerous questions to him. The stature and general. 
appearance of this wanderer of the western forests ap- 
proached the gigantic. His chest was broad and prominent; 
his muscular powers displayed themselves in every limb; his 
countenance gave indication of his great courage, enterprise 
and perseverance; and when he spoke, the very motion of 
his lips brought the impression that whatever he uttered 
could not be otherwise than strictly true. I undressed, 
whilst he merely took off his hunting shirt, and arranged 
a few folds of blankets on the floor, choosing rather to le 
there, as he observed, than on the softest bed. When we had 
both disposed of ourselves, each after his own fashion, he 
related to me the following account of his powers of memory, 
which I lay before you, kind reader, in his own words, hop- 
ing that the simplicity of his style may prove interesting 
to you. 

“T was once,” said he, “on a hunting expedition on the 
banks of the Green River, when the lower parts of this State 
(Kentucky) were still in the hands of nature, and none but 
the sons of the soil were looked upon as its lawful proprietors. 


We Virginians had for some time been waging a war of in- 
111 


112 COLONEL BOON 


trusion upon them, and I, amongst the rest, rambled through 
the woods in pursuit of their race, as I now would follow the 
tracks of any ravenous animal. The Indians outwitted me 
one dark night, and I was as unexpectedly as suddenly made 
a prisoner by them. The trick had been managed with great 
skill; for no sooner had I extinguished the fire of my camp, 
and laid me down to rest, in full security, as I thought, 
than I felt myself seized by an indistinguishable number 
of hands, and immediately pinioned, as if about to be led to 
the scaffold for execution. ‘To have attempted to be re- 
fractory, would have proved useless and dangerous to my 
life; and I suffered myself to be removed from my camp 
to theirs a few miles distant, without uttering even a word 
of complaint. You are aware, I dare say, that to act in this 
manner was the best policy, as you understand that by so 
doing, I proved to the Indians at once, that I was born 
and bred as fearless of death as any of themselves. 

““‘When we reached the camp, great rejoicings were ex- 
hibited. Two squaws and a few papooses appeared 
particularly delighted at the sight of me, and I was assured, 
by very unequivocal gestures and words, that, on the 
morrow, the mortal enemy of the Red-skins would cease 
to live. I never opened my lips, but was busy contriving 
some scheme which might enable me to give the rascals the 
slip before dawn. ‘The women immediately fell a searching 
about my hunting-shirt for whatever they might think 
valuable, and, fortunately for me, soon found my flask 
filled with monongahela (that is, reader, strong whisky). 
A terrific grin was exhibited on their murderous counten- 
ances, while my heart throbbed with joy at the anticipation 
of their intoxication. The crew immediately began to beat 
their bellies and sing, as they passed the bottle from mouth 
to mouth. How often did I wish the flask ten times its 
size, and filled with aqua-fortis! I observed that the squaws 
drank more freely than the warriors, and again my spirits 
were about to be depressed, when the report of a gun was 


COLONEL BOON 113 


heard at a distance. ‘The Indians all jumped on their feet. 
The singing and drinking were both brought to a stand, 
and I saw, with inexpressible joy, the men walk off to 
some distance and talk to the squaws. I knew that they were 
consulting about me, and I foresaw that in a few moments 
the warriors would go to discover the cause of the gun hav- 
ing been fired so near their camp. I expected that the 
squaws would be left to guard me. Well, Sir, it was just 
so. ‘They returned; the men took up their guns, and walked 
away. ‘The squaws sat down again, and in less than five 
minutes had my bottle up to their dirty mouths, gurgling 
down their throats the remains of the whisky. 

“With what pleasure did I see them becoming more and 
more drunk, until the liquor took such hold of them that it 
was quite impossible for these women to be of any service. 
They tumbled down, rolled about, and began to snore: 
when I, having no other chance of freeing myself from the 
cords that fastened me, rolled over and over towards the 
fire, and, after a short time, burned them asunder. I rose 
on my feet, stretched my stiffened sinews, snatched up my 
rifle, and, for once in my life, spared that of Indians. I 
now recollected how desirous I once or twice felt to lay 
open the skulls of the wretches with my tomahawk; but 
when I again thought upon killing beings unprepared and 
unable to defend themselves, it looked like murder without 
need, and I gave up the idea. 

“But, Sir, I felt determined to mark the spot, and walk- 
ing to a thrifty ash sapling, I cut out of it three large chips, 
and ran off. I soon reached the river, soon crossed it, and 
threw myself deep into the cane-brakes, imitating the track 
of an Indian with my feet, so that no chance might be left 
for those from whom I had escaped to overtake me. 

“It is now nearly twenty years since this happened, and 
more than five since I left the Whites’ settlements, which I 
might probably never have visited again, had I not been 
called on as a witness in a law-suit that was pending in 


114 COLONEL BOON 


Kentucky, and which I really believe would never have 
been settled, had I not come forward, and established the 
beginning of a certain boundary line. This is the story, Sir. 

“Mr. moved from Old Virginia into Kentucky, and 
having a large tract granted to him in the new State, laid 
claim to a certain parcel of land adjoining Green River, 
and as chance would have it, took for one of his corners the 
very Ash tree on which I had made my mark, and finished his 
survey of some thousands of acres, beginning, as it ex- 
pressed in the deed, ‘at an Ash marked by three distinct 
notches of the tomahawk of a white man.’ 

“The tree had grown much, and the bark had covered 
the marks; but somehow or other, Mr. heard from some 
one all that I have already said to you, and thinking that 
I might remember the spot alluded to in the deed, but which 
was no longer discoverable, wrote for me to come and try 
at least to find the place or the tree. His letter mentioned 
that all my expenses should be paid, and not caring much 
about once more going back to Kentucky, I started and 
met Mr. After some conversation, the affair with 
the Indians came to my recollection. I considered for a 
while, and began to think that after all I could find the 
very spot, as well as the tree, if it was yet standing. 

st VLES and I mounted our horses, and off we went to 
the Green River Bottoms. After some difficulties, for you 
must be aware, Sir, that great changes have taken place in 
those woods, I found at last the spot where I had crossed the 
river, and waiting for the moon to rise, made for the course 
in which I thought the Ash tree grew. On approaching 
the place, I felt as if the Indians were there still, and as if 
I was still a prisoner among them. Mr. —— and I camped 
near what I conceived the spot, and waited until the return 
of day. 

“At the rising of the sun, I was on foot, and after a 
good deal of musing, thought that an Ash tree then in sight 
must be the very one on which I had made my mark. I 

















COLONEL BOON 115 


felt as if there could be no doubt of it, and mentioned my 
thought to Mr. “Well, Colonel Boon,” said he, “‘if 
you think so, I hope it may prove true, but we must have 
some witnesses; do you stay here about, and I will go and 
bring some of the settlers whom I know.” I agreed. 
Mr. trotted off, and I, to pass the time, rambled about 
to see if a deer was still living inthe land. But ah! Sir, what 
a wonderful difference thirty years makes in the country! 
Why, at the time when I was caught by the Indians, you 
would not have walked out in any direction for more than 
a mile without shooting a buck or a bear. There were 
then thousands of Buffaloes on the hills in Kentucky; the 
land looked as if it never would become poor; and to hunt 
in those days was a pleasure indeed. But when I was left 
to myself on the banks of Green River, I dare say for the 
last time in my life, a few signs only of a deer were to be 
seen, and, as to a deer itself, I saw none. 

“Mr. returned, accompanied by three gentlemen. 
They looked upon me as if I had been Washington himself, 
and walked to the Ash tree, which I now called my own, as 
if in quest of a long lost treasure. I took an axe from one 
of them, and cut a few chips off the bark. Still no signs 
were to be seen. So I cut again until I thought it was time 
to be cautious, and I scraped and worked away with my 
butcher knife, until I did come to where my tomakawk had 
left an impression in the wood. We now went regularly to 
work, and scraped at the tree with care, until three hacks 
as plain as any three notches ever were, could be seen. 
Mr. and the other gentlemen were astonished, and, I 
must allow, I was as much surprised as pleased myself. I 
made affidavit of this remarkable occurrence in presence 
of these gentlemen. Mr. gained his cause. I left 
Green River for ever, and came to where we now are; and, 
Sir, I wish you a good night.” 

I trust, kind reader, that when I again make my appear- 
ance with another volume of Ornithological Biography, I 

















116 COLONEL BOON 


shall not have to search in vain for the impression which I 
have made, but shall have the satisfaction of finding its 
traces still unobliterated. I now withdraw, and, in the words 
of the noted wanderer of the western wilds, “wisH you A 
GOOD NIGHT.” 


THE RUNAWAY 


Never shall I forget the impression made on my mind by 
the rencontre which forms the subject of this article, and 
I even doubt if the relation of it will not excite in the mind 
of my reader emotions of varied character. 

Late in the afternoon of one of those sultry days which 
render the atmosphere of the Louisiana swamps pregnant 
with baneful effluvia, I directed my course towards my distant 
home, laden with a pack consisting of five or six Wood 
Ibises, and a heavy gun, the weight of which even in those 
days when my natural powers were unimpaired, prevented me 
from moving with much speed. Reaching the banks of a 
miry bayou, only a few yards in breadth, but of which I 
could not ascertain the depth, on account of the muddiness 
of its waters, I thought it might be dangerous to wade 
through it with my burden; for which reason, throwing 
to the opposite side each of my heavy birds in succession, 
together with my gun, powder-flask, and shot-bag, and draw- 
ing my hunting-knife from its scabbard, to defend myself, 
if need should be, against alligators, I entered the water, 
followed by my faithful dog. As I advanced carefully 
and slowly, “Plato” swam around me, enjoying the refresh- 
ing influence of the liquid element that cooled his fatigued 
and heated frame. ‘The water deepened, as did the mire 
of its bed; but with a stroke or two I gained the shore. 

Scarcely had I stood erect on the opposite bank, when 
my dog ran to me, exhibiting marks of terror, his eyes 
seeming ready to burst from their sockets, and his mouth 
grinning with the expression of hatred, while his feelings 
found vent in a stifled growl. Thinking that all this was 


produced by the scent of a wolf or bear, I stopped to take 
117 


118 THE RUNAWAY 


up my gun, when a stentorial voice commanded me to 
“stand still, or die!”? Such a “qué vive” in these woods was 
as unexpected as it was rare. I instantly raised and cocked 
my gun; and although I did not yet perceive the individual 
who had thus issued so peremptory a mandate, I felt 
determined to combat with him for the free passage of the 
grounds. Presently a tall firmly-built Negro emerged from 
the bushy underwood, where, until that moment, he must 
have been crouched, and in a louder voice repeated his 
injunction. Had I pressed a trigger, his life would have 
instantly terminated; but observing that the gun, which 
he aimed at my breast, was a wretched rusty piece, from 
which fire could not readily be produced, I felt little fear, 
and therefore did not judge it necessary to proceed at 
once to extremities. I laid my gun at my side, tapped my 
dog quietly, and asked the man what he wanted. 

My forbearance, and the stranger’s long habit of sub- 
mission, produced the most powerful effect on his mind. 
“Master,” said he, “I am a runaway. I might perhaps 
shoot you down; but God forbids it, for I feel just now, as 
if I saw him ready to pass his judgment against me for such 
a foul deed, and I ask mercy at your hands. For God’s sake, 
do not kill me, master!” And why, answered I, have you 
left your quarters, where certainly you must have fared 
better than in these unwholesome swamps? ‘Master, my 
story is a short, but a sorrowful one. My camp is close by, 
and as I know you cannot reach home this night, if you 
will follow me there, depend upon my honour you shall be 
safe until the morning, when I will carry your birds, if you 
choose, to the great road.” 

The large intelligent eyes of the Negro, the complacency 
of his manner, and the tones of his voice, I thought, invited 
me to venture; and as I felt that I was at least his equal, 
while, moreover, I had my dog to second me, I answered that 
I would follow him. He observed the emphasis laid on the 
words, the meaning of which he seemed to understand so 


THE RUNAWAY 119 


thoroughly, that, turning to me, he said, “There, master, 
take my butcher’s knife, while I throw away the flint and 
priming from my gun!” Reader, I felt confounded: this 
was too much for me; I refused the knife, and told him to 
keep his piece ready, in case we might accidentally meet a 
cougar or a bear. 

Generosity exists everywhere. The greatest monarch 
acknowledges its impulse, and all around him, from his 
lowliest menial to the proud nobles that encircle his throne, 
at times experience that overpowering sentiment. I offered 
to shake hands with the runaway. “Master,” said he, 
“T beg you thanks,” and with this he gave me a squeeze, 
that alike impressed me with the goodness of his heart, and 
his great physical strength. From that moment we 
proceeded through the woods together. My dog smelt at 
him several times, but as he heard me speak in my usual 
tone of voice, he soon left us, and rambled around as long 
as my whistle was unused. As we proceeded, I observed 
that he was guiding me towards the setting of the sun, and 
quite contrary to my homeward course. I remarked this 
to him, when he with the greatest simplicity replied, “merely 
for our security.” 

After trudging along for some distance, and crossing 
several bayous, at all of which he threw his gun and knife 
to the opposite bank, and stood still until I had got over, 
we came to the borders of an immense cane brake, from 
which I had, on former occasions, driven and killed several 
deer. We entered, as I had frequently done before, now 
erect, then on “‘all fours.” He regularly led the way, divided 
here and there the tangled stalks, and, whenever we reached 
a fallen tree, assisted me in getting over it with all possible 
care. I saw that he was a perfect Indian in the knowledge 
of the woods, for he kept a direct course as precisely as 
any “Red-skin” I ever travelled with. All of a sudden 
he emitted a loud shriek, not unlike that of an owl, which 
so surprised me, that I once more instantly levelled my gun. 


120 THE RUNAWAY 


“No harm, master, I only give notice to my wife and child- 
ren that I am coming.” A tremulous answer of the same 
nature gently echoed through the tree-tops. The runaway’s 
lips separated with an expression of gentleness and delight, 
when his beautiful set of ivory teeth seemed to smile through 
the dusk of evening that was thickening around us. 
“Master,” said he, “my wife, though black, is as beautiful 
to me as the President’s wife is to him; she is my queen, 
and I look on our young ones as so many princes :—but 
you shall see them all, for here they are, thank God!” 

There, in the heart of the cane-brake, I found a regular 
camp. A small fire was lighted, and on its embers lay 
broiling some large slices of venison. A lad nine or ten 
years old was blowing the ashes from some fine sweet 
potatoes. Various articles of household furniture were care- 
fully disposed around, and a large pallet of bear and deer 
skins seemed to be the resting-place of the whole family. 
The wife raised not her eyes towards mine, and the little 
ones, three in number, retired into a corner, like so many 
discomforted racoons: but the Runaway, bold and appar- 
ently happy, spoke to them in such cheering words, that at 
once one and all seemed to regard me as one sent by Provi- 
dence to relieve them from all their troubles. My clothes 
were hung up by them to dry, and the Negro asked if he 
might clean and grease my gun, which I permitted him to 
do, while the wife threw a large piece of deer’s flesh to my 
dog, which the children were already caressing. 

Only think of my situation, reader! Here I was, ten 
miles at least from home, and four or five from the nearest 
plantation, in the camp of runaway slaves, and quite at their 
mercy. My eyes involuntarily followed their motions, but 
as I thought I perceived in them a strong desire to make me 
their confidant and friend, I gradually relinquished all 
suspicion. ‘The venison and potatoes looked quite tempting, 
and by this time I was in a condition to relish much less 
savoury fare; so, on being humbly asked to divide the viands 


THE RUNAWAY 121 


before us, I partook of as hearty a meal as I had ever in 
my life. 

Supper over, the fire was completely extinguished, and a 
small lighted pine-knot placed in a hollowed calabash. See- 
ing that both the husband and wife were desirous of com- 
municating something to me, I at once and fearlessly desired 
them to unburden their minds; when the Runaway told me 
a tale of which the following is the substance. 

About eighteen months before, a planter residing not very 
far off, having met with some losses, was obliged to expose 
his slaves at a public sale. The value of his negroes was well 
known, and on the appointed day, the auctioneer laid them 
out in small lots, or offered them singly, in the manner which 
he judged most advantageous to their owner. The Run- 
away, who was well known as being the most valuable next 
to his wife, was put up by himself for sale, and brought an 
immoderate price. For his wife, who came next, and alone, 
eight hundred dollars were bidden and paid down. ‘Then 
the children were exposed, and, on account of their breed, 
brought high prices. The rest of the slaves went off at rates 
corresponding to their qualifications. 

The Runaway chanced to be purchased by the overseer of 
the plantation; the wife was bought by an individual resid- 
ing about a hundred miles off, and the children went to dif- 
ferent places along the river. The heart of the husband 
and father failed him under this dire calamity. For awhile 
he pined in deep sorrow under his new master; but having 
marked down in his memory the names of the different per- 
sons who had purchased each dear portion of his family, he 
feigned illiiess, if indeed he whose affections had been so 
grievously blasted could be said to feign it, refrained from 
food for several days, and was little regarded by the over- 
seer, who felt himself disappointed in what he had considered 
a bargain. 

On a stormy night, when the elements raged with all the 
fury of a hurricane, the poor Negro made his escape, and, 


122 THE RUNAWAY 


being well acquainted with all the neighboring swamps, at 
once made directly for the cane brake, in the centre of which 
I found his camp. A few nights afterwards he gained the 
abode of his wife, and the very next after their meeting he 
led her away. The children one after another he succeeded 
in stealing, until at last the whole objects of his love were 
under his care. 

To provide for five individuals was no easy task in those 
wilds, which, after the first notice was given of the wonder- 
ful disappearance of this extraordinary family, were daily 
ransacked by armed planters. Necessity, it is said, will 
bring the wolf from the forest. The Runaway seems to 
have well understood the maxim, for under night he ap- 
proached his first master’s plantation, where he had ever 
been treated with the greatest kindness. 'The house servants 
knew him too well not to aid him to the best of their power, 
and at the approach of each morning he returned to his 
camp with an ample supply of provisions. One day, while 
in search of wild fruits, he found a bear dead before the 
muzzle of a gun that had been set for the purpose. Both 
articles he carried to his home. His friends at the planta- 
tion managed to supply him with some ammunition, and 
in damp and cloudy days he first ventured to hunt around 
his camp. Possessed of courage and activity, he gradually | 
became more careless, and rambled farther in search of 
game. It was on one of his excursions that I met him, and 
he assured me that the noise which I made in passing the 
bayou had caused him to lose the chance of killing a fine 
deer, although, said he, “my old musket misses fire sadly too 
often.” 

The runaways, after disclosing their secret to me, both 
rose from their seat, with eyes full of tears. ‘Good master, 
for God’s sake, do something for us and our children,” they 
sobbed forth with one accord. ‘Their little ones lay sound 
asleep in the fearlessness of their innocence. Who could 
have heard such a tale without emotion? I promised them 


THE RUNAWAY 123 


my most cordial assistance. They both sat up that night 
to watch my repose, and I slept close to their urchins, as 
if on a bed of the softest down. 

Day broke so fair, so pure, and so gladdening, that I told 
them such heavenly appearances were ominous of good, and 
that I scarcely doubted of obtaining their full pardon. I 
desired them to take their children with them, and promised 
_to accompany them to the plantation of their first master. 
They gladly obeyed. My Ibises were hung around their 
camp, and, as a memento of my having been there, I notched 
several trees, after which I bade adieu, perhaps for the last 
time, to that cane brake. We soon reached the plantation, 
the owner of which, with whom I was well acquainted, re- 
ceived me with all the generous kindness of a Louisiana 
planter. Ere an hour had elapsed, the Runaway and his 
family were looked upon as his own. He afterwards re- 
purchased them from their owners, and treated them with 
his former kindness; so that they were rendered as happy as 
slaves generally are in that country, and continued to cherish 
that attachment to each other which had led to their adven- 
tures. Since this event happened, it has, I have been in- 
formed, become illegal to separate slave families without 
their consent. 


THE LOST ONE 


A “LIVE-OAKER,” employed on the St. John’s River, in East 
Florida, left his cabin, situated on the banks of that stream, 
and with his axe on his shoulder proceeded towards the 
swamp in which he had several times before plied his trade 
of felling and squaring the giant trees that afford the most 
valuable timber for naval architecture and other purposes. 

At the season which is the best for this kind of labour, 
heavy fogs not unfrequently cover the country, so as to 
render it difficult for one to see farther than thirty or forty 
yards in any direction. The woods, too, present so little 
variety, that every tree seems the mere counterpart of every 
other; and the grass, when it has not been burnt, is so tall 
that a man of ordinary stature cannot see over it, whence 
it is necessary for him to proceed with great caution, lest he 
should unwittingly deviate from the ill-defined trail which 
he follows. ‘To increase the difficulty, several trails often 
meet, in which case, unless the explorer be perfectly ac- 
quainted with the neighbourhood, it would be well for him 
to le down, and wait until the fog should disperse. Under 
such circumstances the best woodsmen are not unfrequently 
bewildered for a while; and I well remember that such an 
occurrence happened to myself, at a time when I had im- 
prudently ventured to pursue a wounded quadruped, which 
led me some distance from the track. 

The live-oaker had been jogging onwards for several 
hours, and became aware that he must have travelled con- 
siderably more than the distance between his cabin and the 
“hummock” which he desired to reach. ‘To his alarm, at the 
moment when the fog dispersed, he saw the sun at its 
meridian height, and could not recognise a single object 
around him. 

124 


THE LOST ONE 125 


Young, healthy, and active, he imagined that he had 
walked with more than usual speed, and had passed the 
place to which he was bound. He accordingly turned his 
back upon the sun, and pursued a different route, guided by 
a small trail. ‘Time passed, and the sun headed his course: 
he saw it gradually descend in the west; but all around him 
continued as if enveloped with mystery. The huge gray 
trees spread their giant boughs over him, the rank grass 
extended on all sides, not a living being crossed his path, 
all was silent and still and the scene was like a dull and 
dreary dream of the land of oblivion. He wandered like a 
forgotten ghost that had passed into the land of spirits, 
without yet meeting one of his kind with whom to hold 
converse. 

The condition of a man lost in the woods is one of the most 
perplexing that can be imagined by a person who has not 
himself been in a like predicament. Every object he sees, 
he at first thinks he recognises, and while his whole mind is 
bent on searching for more that may gradually lead to his 
extrication, he goes on committing greater errors the farther 
he proceeds. ‘This was the case with the live-oaker. The 
sun was now setting with a fiery aspect, and by degrees it 
sunk in its full circular form, as if giving warning of a 
sultry morrow. Myriads of insects, delighted at its de- 
parture, now filled the air on buzzing wings. Each piping 
frog arose from the muddy pool in which it had concealed 
itself ; the squirrel retired to its hole, the crow to its roost, 
and, far above, the harsh croaking voice of the heron an- 
nounced that, full of anxiety, it was wending its way to the 
miry interior of some distant swamp. Now the woods be- 
gan to resound to the shrill cries of the owl; and the breeze, 
as it swept among the columnar stems of the forest-trees, 
came laden with heavy and chilling dews. Alas, no moon 
with her silvery light shone on the dreary scene, and the 
Lost One, wearied and vexed, laid himself down on the damp 
ground. Prayer is always consolatory to man in every diffi- 


126 THE LOST ONE 


culty or danger, and the woodsman fervently prayed to his 
Maker, wished his family a happier night than it was his 
lot to experience, and with a feverish anxiety waited the 
return of day. 

You may imagine the length of that cold, dull, moonless 
night. With the dawn of day came the usual fogs of those 
latitudes. The poor man started on his feet, and with a 
sorrowful heart, pursued a course which he thought might 
lead him to some familiar object, although, indeed, he 
scarcely knew what he was doing. No longer had he the 
trace of a track to guide him, and yet, as the sun rose, he 
calculated the many hours of day-light he had before him, 
and the farther he went continued to walk the faster. But 
vain were all his hopes: that day was spent in fruitless en- 
deavours to regain the path that led to his home, and when 
night again approached, the terror that had been gradu- 
ally spreading over his mind, together with the nervous de- 
bility induced by fatigue, anxiety, and hunger, rendered him 
almost frantic. He told me that at this moment he beat 
his breast, tore his hair, and, had it not been for the piety 
with which his parents had in early life imbued his mind, 
and which had become habitual, would have cursed his ex- 
istence. Famished as he now was he laid himself on the 
ground, and fed on the weeds and grass that grew around 
him. ‘That night was spent in the greatest agony and 
terror. “I knew my situation,” he said tome. “I was fully 
aware that unless Almighty God came to my assistance, I 
must perish in those uninhabited woods. I knew that I had 
walked more than fifty miles, although I had not met with 
a brook, from which I could quench my thirst, or even allay 
the burning heat of my parched lips and blood-shot eyes. I 
knew that if I should not meet with some stream I must die, 
for my axe was my only weapon, and although deer and 
bears now and then started within a few yards or even feet 
of me, not one of them could I kill; and although I was in 
the midst of abundance, not a mouthful did I expect to pro- 


THE LOST ONE 127 


cure, to satisfy the cravings of my empty stomach. Sir, 
may God preserve you from ever feeling as I did the whole 
of that day!” 

For several days after, no one can imagine the condition 
in which he was, for when he related to me this painful ad- 
venture, he assured me that he had lost all recollection of 
what had happened. “God,” he continued, “must have 
taken pity on me one day, for, as I ran wildly through those 
dreadful pine barrens, I met with a tortoise. I gazed upon 
it with amazement and delight, and, although I knew that 
were I to follow it undisturbed, it would lead me to some 
water, my hunger and thirst would not allow me to refrain 
from satisfying both, by eating its flesh, and drinking its 
blood. With one stroke of my axe the beast was cut in 
two, and in a few moments I dispatched all but the shell. 
Oh, Sir, how much I thanked God, whose kindness had put 
the tortoise in my way! I felt greatly renewed. Isat down 
at the foot of a pine, gazed on the heavens, thought of my 
poor wife and children, and again, and again thanked my 
God for my life, for now I felt less distracted in mind, and 
more assured that before long I must recover my way, and 
get back to my home.” 

The Lost One remained and passed the night, at the foot 
of the same tree under which his repast had been made. Re- 
freshed by a sound sleep, he started at dawn to. resume his 
weary march. The sun rose bright, and he followed the 
direction of the shadows. Still the dreariness of the woods 
was the same, and he was on the point of giving up in 
despair, when he observed a racoon lying squatted in the 
grass. Raising his axe, he drove it with such violence 
through the helpless animal, that it expired without a strug- 
gle. What he had done with the turtle, he now did with the 
racoon, the greater part of which he actually devoured at 
one meal. With more comfortable feelings, he then resumed 
his wanderings—his journey I cannot say,—for although 
in the possession of all his faculties, and in broad daylight, 


128 THE LOST ONE 


he was worse off than a lame man groping his way in the 
dark out of a dungeon, of which he knew not where the door 
stood. 

Days, one after another, passed—nay, weeks in succession. 
He fed now on cabbage-trees, then on frogs and snakes. All 
that fell in his way was welcome and savoury. Yet he be- 
came daily more emaciated, until at length he could scarcely 
crawl. Forty days had elapsed, by his own reckoning, when 
he at last reached the banks of the river. His clothes in 
tatters, his once bright axe dimmed with rust, his face be- 
grimmed with beard, his hair matted, and his feeble frame 
little better than a skeleton covered with parchment, there 
he laid himself down to die. Amid the perturbed dreams 
of his fevered fancy, he thought he heard the noise of oars 
far away on the silent river. He listened, but the sounds 
died away on his ear. It was indeed a dream, the last glim- 
mer of expiring hope, and now the light of life was about 
to be quenched for ever. But again, the sound of oars 
awoke him from his lethargy. He listened so eagerly, that 
the hum of a fly could not have escaped his ear. ‘They were 
indeed the measured beats of oars, and now, joy to the for- 
lorn soul! the sound of human voices thrilled to his heart, 
and awoke the tumultuous pulses of returning hope. On 
his knees did the eye of God see that poor man by the broad 
still stream that glittered in the sunbeams, and human eyes 
soon saw him too, for round that headland covered with 
tangled brush-wood boldly advances the little boat, pro- 
pelled by its lusty rowers. ‘The Lost One raises his feeble 
voice on high ;—it was a loud shrill scream of joy and fear. 
The rowers pause, and look around. Another, but feebler 
scream, and they observe him. It comes,—his heart flutters, 
his sight is dimmed, his brain reels, he gasps for breath. It 
comes,—it has run upon the beach, and the Lost One is 
found. 

This is no tale of fiction, but the relation of an actual oc- 
currence, which might be embellished, no doubt, but which 


THE LOST ONE 129 


is better in the plain garb of truth. The notes by which I 
recorded it were written, in the cabin of the once lost live- 
oaker, about four years after the painful incident occurred. 
His amiable wife, and loving children, were present at the 
recital, and never shall I forget the tears that flowed from 
them as they listened to it, albeit it had long been more fa- 
miliar to them than a tale thrice told. Sincerely do I wish, 
good reader, that neither you nor I may ever elicit such 
sympathy, by having undergone such sufferings, although 
no doubt such sympathy would be a rich recompense for 
them. 

It only remains for me to say, that the distance between 
the cabin and the live-oak hummock to which the woodsman 
was bound, scarcely exceeded 8 miles, while the part of the 
river at which he was found, was 38 miles from his house. 
Calculating his daily wanderings at 10 miles, we may be- 
lieve that they amounted in all to 400. He must, therefore, 
have rambled in a circuitous direction, which people gen- 
erally do in such circumstances. Nothing but the great 
strength of his constitution, and the merciful aid of his 
Maker, could have supported him for so long a time. 


THE FORCE OF THE WATERS 


THE men who are employed in cutting down the trees, and 
conveying the logs to the saw-mills or the places for ship- 
ping, are, in the State of Maine, called ‘“Lumberers.” 
Their labours may be said to be continual. Before winter 
has commenced, and while the ground is yet uncovered with 
a great depth of snow, they leave their homes to proceed to 
the interior of the pine forests, which in that part of the 
country are truly magnificent ; and betake themselves to cer- 
tain places already well known to them. ‘Their provisions, 
axes, saws, and other necessary articles, together with pro- 
vender for their cattle, are conveyed by oxen in heavy sledges. 
Almost at the commencement of their march, they are obliged 
to enter the woods, and they have frequently to cut a way 
for themselves, for considerable spaces, as the ground is 
often covered with the decaying trunks of immense trees, 
which have fallen either from age, or in consequence of ac- 
cidental burnings. 'These trunks, and the undergrowth 
which lies entangled in their tops, render many places al- 
most impassable even to men on foot. Over miry ponds they 
are sometimes forced to form causeways, this being, under 
all circumstances, the easiest mode of reaching the opposite 
side. ‘Then, reader, is the time for witnessing the exertions 
of their fine large cattle. No rods do their drivers use to 
pain their flanks; no oaths or imprecations are ever heard to 
fall from the lips of these most industrious and temperate 
men, for in them, as indeed in most of the inhabitants of our 
-Eastern States, education and habit have tempered the pas- 
sions and reduced the moral constitution to a state of har- 
mony. Nay, the sobriety that exists in many of the vil- 


lages of Maine, I acknowledge I have often considered as 
130 


THE FORCE OF THE WATERS 131 


carried to excess, for on asking for brandy, rum or whisky, 
not a drop could I obtain, and it is probable there was an 
equal lack of spirituous liquors of every other kind. Now 
and then I saw some good old wines, but they were always 
drunk in careful moderation. But to return to the manage- 
ment of the oxen. Why, reader, the lumberers speak to 
them as if they were rational beings. Few words seem to 
suffice, and their whole strength is applied to the labour, as 
if in gratitude to those who treat them with so much gentle- 
ness and humanity. 

While present on more than one occasion at what Ameri- 
cans call “ploughing matches,” which they have annually in 
many of the States, I have been highly gratified, and in par- 
ticular at one, of which I still have a strong recollection, and 
which took place a few miles from the fair and hospitable 
city of Boston. There I saw fifty or more ploughs drawn 
by as many pairs of oxen, which performed their work with 
so much accuracy and regularity, without the infliction of 
whip or rod, but merely guided by the verbal mandates of 
the ploughmen, that I was perfectly astonished. 

After surmounting all obstacles, the lumberers with their 
stock arrive at the spot which they have had in view, and im- 
mediately commence building a camp. The trees around 
soon fall under the blows of their axes, and before many days 
have elapsed a low habitation is reared and fitted within 
for the accommodation of their cattle, while their provender 
is secured on a kind of loft covered with broad shingles or 
boards. ‘Then their own cabin is put up; rough bedsteads, 
manufactured on the spot, are fixed in the corners; a chim- 
ney, composed of a frame of sticks plastered with mud, leads 
away the smoke; the skins of bears or deer, with some blan- 
kets, form their bedding, and around the walls are hung 
their changes of home-spun clothing, guns, and various ne- 
cessities of life. Many prefer spending the night on the 
sweet-scented hay and corn-blades of their cattle, which are 
laid on the ground. All arranged within, the lumberers set 


132 THE FORCE OF THE WATERS 


their “dead-falls,” large “steel-traps,” and “spring guns,” 
in suitable places around their camp, to procure some of the 
bears that ever prowl around such establishments. 

Now the heavy clouds of November, driven by the north- 
ern blasts, pour down the snow in feathery flakes. The 
winter has fairly set in, and seldom do the sun’s gladdening 
rays fall on the wood-cutter’s hut. In warm flannels his 
body is enveloped, the skin of a racoon covers his head and 
brow, his moose-skin leggins reach the girdle that secures 
them around his waist, while on broad moccasins, or snow- 
shoes, he stands from the earliest dawn until night, hacking 
the majestic pines that for a century past have embellished 
the forest. The fall of these valuable trees no longer re- 
sounds on the ground; and, as they tumble here and there, 
nothing is heard but the rustling and crackling of their 
branches, their heavy trunks sinking into the deep snows. 
Thousands of large pines thus cut down every winter afford 
room for the younger trees, which spring up profusely to 
supply the wants of man. 

Weeks and weeks have elapsed; the earth’s pure white 
covering has become thickly and firmly crusted by the in- 
creasing intensity of the cold, the fallen trees have all been 
sawn into measured logs, and the long repose of the oxen 
has fitted them for hauling them to the nearest frozen 
streams. 'The ice gradually becomes covered with the ac- 
cumulating mass of timber, and, their task completed, the 
lumberers wait impatiently for the breaking up of the 
winter. 

At this period, they pass the time in hunting the moose, 
the deer, and the bear, for the benefit of their wives and chil- 
dren; and as these men are most excellent woodsmen, great 
havoc is made among the game. 

Many skins of sables, martins, and musk-rats they have 
procured during the intervals of their labour, or under 
night. ‘The snows are now giving way, as the rains descend 
in torrents, and the lumberers collect their utensils, harness 


THE FORCE OF THE WATERS 133 


their cattle, and prepare for their return. This they ac- 
complish in safety. 

From being lumberers they now become millers, and with 
pleasure each applies the grating file to the saws. Many 
logs have already reached the dams on the swollen waters of 
the rushing streams, and the task commences, which is car- 
ried on through the summer, of cutting them up into boards. 

The great heats of the dog-days have parched the 
ground; every creek has become a shallow, except here and 
there, where in a deep hole the salmon and the trout have 
found a retreat; the sharp slimy angles of multitudes of 
rocks project, as if to afford resting places to the wood-ducks 
and herons that breed on the borders of these streams. 
Thousands of “‘saw-logs” remain in every pool, beneath and 
above each rapid or fall. The miller’s dam has been emp- 
tied of its timber, and he must now resort to some expedient 
to procure a fresh supply. 

It was my good fortune to witness the method employed 
for the purpose of collecting the logs that had not reached 
their destination, and I had the more pleasure that it was 
seen in company with my little family. I wish for your sake, 
reader, that I could describe in an adequate manner the 
scene which I viewed; but, although not so well qualified as 
I wish to be, rely upon it, that the desire which I feel to 
gratify you, will induce me to use all my endeavours to give 
you an idea of it. 

It was the month of September. At the upper extremity 
of Dennisville, which is itself a pretty village, are the saw- 
mills and ponds of the hospitable Judge Lincoln and other 
persons. The creek that conveys the logs to these ponds, 
and which bears the name of the village, is interrupted in 
its course by many rapids and narrow embanked gorges. 
One of the latter is situated about half a mile above the 
mill-dams, and is so rocky and rugged in its bottom and 
sides, as to preclude the possibility of the trees passing along 
it at low water, while, as I conceived, it would have given no 


134 THE FORCE OF THE WATERS 


slight labour to an army of woodmen or millers, to move the 
thousands of large logs that had accumulated in it. They 
lay piled in confused heaps to a great height along an ex- 
tent of several hundred yards, and were in some places so 
close as to have formed a kind of dam. Above the gorge 
there is a large natural reservoir, in which the head waters 
of the creek settle, while only a small portion of them ripples 
through the gorge below, during the latter weeks of summer 
and in early autumn, when the streams are at their lowest. 

At the neck of this basin, the lumberers raise a temporary 
barrier with the refuse of their sawn logs. 'The boards were 
planted nearly upright, and supported at their tops by a 
strong tree extended from side to side of the creek, which 
might be about forty feet in breadth. It was prevented 
from giving way under the pressure of the rising waters, 
by having strong abutments of wood laid against its centre, 
while the ends of these abutments were secured by wedges, 
which could be knocked off when necessary. 

The temporary dam was now finished. Little or no water 
escaped through the barrier, and that in the creek above it 
rose in the course of three weeks to its top, which was about 
ten feet high, forming a sheet that extended upwards fully a 
mile from the dam. My family was invited, early one morn- 
ing, to go and witness the extraordinary effect which would 
‘be produced by the breaking down of the barrier, and we 
all accompanied the lumberers to the place. ‘Two of the 
men, on reaching it, threw off their jackets, tied handker- 
chiefs round their heads, and fastened to their bodies a long 
rope, the end of which was held by three or four others, who 
stood ready to drag their companions ashore, in case of 
danger or accident. 'The two operators, each bearing an 
axe, walked along the abutments, and at a given signal, 
knocked out the wedges. A second blow from each sent off 
the abutments themselves, and the men, leaping with extreme 
dexterity from one cross log to another, sprung to the shore 
with almost the quickness of thought. 


THE FORCE OF THE WATERS 135 


Scarcely had they effected their escape from the frightful 
peril that threatened them, when the mass of waters burst 
forth with a horrible uproar. All eyes were bent towards 
the huge heaps of logs in the gorge below. The tumultuous 
burst of the waters instantly swept away every object that 
opposed their progress, and rushed in foaming waves among 
the timber that every where blocked up the passage. Pres- 
ently a slow, heaving motion was perceived in the mass of 
logs; one might have imaged that some mighty monster lay 
convulsively writhing beneath them, struggling with a fear- 
ful energy to extricate himself from the crushing weight. 
As the waters rose, this movement increased; the mass of 
timber extended in all directions, appearing to become more 
and more entangled each moment; the logs bounced against 
each other, thrusting aside, demerging, or raising into the 
air those with which they came in contact:—it seemed as if 
they were waging a war of destruction, such as ancient au- 
thors describe the efforts of the Titans, the foamings of 
whose wrath might to the eye of the painter have been repre- 
sented by the angry curlings of the waters, while the trem- 
ulous and rapid motions of the logs, which at times reared 
themselves almost perpendicularly, might by the poet have 
been taken for the shakings of the confounded and discom- 
fited giants. 

Now the rushing element filled up the gorge to its brim. 
The logs, once under way, rolled, reared, tossed and tum- 
bled amid the foam, as they were carried along. Many of 
the smaller trees broke across, from others great splinters 
were sent up, and all were in some degree seamed and scarred. 
Then in tumultuous majesty swept along the mingled wreck, 
the current being now increased to such a pitch, that the 
logs, as they were dashed against the rocky shores, resounded 
like the report of distant artillery, or the angry rumblings 
of the thunder. Onward it rolls, the emblem of wreck and 
ruin, destruction and chaotic strife. It seemed to me as if 
I witnessed the rout of a vast army, surprised, overwhelmed, 


136 THE FORCE OF THE WATERS 


and overthrown. ‘The roar of the cannon, the groans of the 
dying, and the shouts of the avengers, were thundering 
through my brain; and amid the frightful confusion of the 
scene, there came over my spirit a melancholy feeling, which 
had not entirely vanished at the end of many days. 

In a few hours, almost all the timber that had lain heaped 
in the rocky gorge, was floating in the great pond of the 
millers; and as we walked homewards, we talked of the Force 
of the Waters. 


THE SQUATTERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI 


ALTHOUGH every European traveller who has glided down 
the Mississippi, at the rate of ten miles an hour, has told his 
tale of the Squatters, yet none has given any other account 
of them than that they are “a sallow, sickly-looking sort of 
miserable beings,” living in swamps, and subsisting on pig- 
nuts, Indian corn and bear’s flesh. It is obvious, however, 
that none but a person acquainted with their history, man- 
ners, and condition, can give any real information respecting 
them. 

The individuals who become squatters choose that sort of 
life of their own free will. They mostly remove from other 
parts of the United States, after finding that land has be- 
come too high in price; and they are persons who, having a 
family of strong and hardy children, are anxious to enable 
them to provide for themselves. They have heard from 
good authorities, that the country extending along the great 
streams of the West, is of all parts of the Union the richest 
in its soil, the growth of its timber, and the abundance of its 
game; that, besides, the Mississippi is the great road to 
and from all the markets in the world; and that every vessel 
borne by its waters, affords to settlers some chance of selling 
their commodities, or of exchanging them for others. ‘To 
these recommendations is added another, of ever greater 
weight with persons of the above denomination, namely, the 
prospect of being able to settle on land, and perhaps to hold 
it for a number of years, without purchase, rent or tax of 
any kind. How many thousands of individuals in all parts 
of the globe would gladly try their fortune with such pros- 
pects, I leave to you, reader, to determine. 

As I am not disposed too highly to colour the picture 

137, 


188 THE SQUATTERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI 


which I am about to submit to your inspection, instead of 
pitching on individuals who have removed from our eastern 
boundaries, and of whom certainly there are a good number, 
I shall introduce to you the members of a family from 
Virginia, first giving you an idea of their condition in that 
country, previous to their migration to the west. The land 
which they and their ancestors have possessed for a hundred 
_ years, having been constantly forced to produce crops of one 
kind or other, is now completely worn out. It exhibits only 
a superficial layer of red clay, cut up by deep ravines, 
through which much of the soil has been conveyed to some 
more fortunate neighbour, residing in a yet rich and beauti- 
ful valley. ‘Their strenuous efforts to render it productive 
have failed. ‘They dispose of every thing too cumbrous or 
expensive for them to remove, retaining only a few horses, 
a servant or two, and such implements of husbandry and 
other articles as may be necessary on their journey, or use- 
ful when they arrive at the spot of their choice. 

I think I see them at this moment harnessing their horses, 
and attaching them to their waggons, which are already filled 
with bedding, provisions, and the younger children; while 
on their outside are fastened spinning-wheels and looms; 
and a bucket, filled with tar and tallow, swings between the 
hind wheels. Several axes are secured to the bolster, and 
the feeding trough of the horses contains pots, kettles, and 
pans. The servant, now become a driver, rides the near 
saddled horse, the wife is mounted on another, the worthy 
husband shoulders his gun, and his sons, clad in plain sub- 
stantial homespun, drive the cattle ahead, and lead the pro- 
cession, followed by the hounds and other dogs. ‘Their day’s 
journey is short and not agreeable:—the cattle, stubborn 
or wild, frequently leave the road for the woods, giving the 
travellers much trouble; the harness of the horses here and 
there gives away, and needs immediate repair; a basket, 
which has accidentally dropped, must be gone after, for 
nothing that they have can be spared; the roads are bad, 


THE SQUATTERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI 139 


and now and then all hands are called to push on the wag- 
gon, or prevent it from upsetting. Yet by sunset they have 
proceeded perhaps twenty miles. Rather fatigued, all as- 
semble round the fire, which has been lighted, supper is pre- 
pared, and a camp being erected, there they pass the night. 

Days and weeks, nay months, of unremitting toil, pass 
before they gain the end of their journey. They have 
crossed both the Carolinas, Georgia, and Alabama. 'They 
have been travelling from the beginning of May to that of 
September, and with heavy hearts they traverse the State 
of Mississippi. But now, arrived on the banks of the broad 
stream, they gaze in amazement on the dark deep woods 
around them. Boats of various kinds they see gliding down- 
wards with the current, while others slowly ascend against it. 
A few inquiries are made at the nearest dwelling, and, as- 
sisted by the inhabitants with their boats and canoes, they at 
once cross the Mississippi, and select their place of habi- 
tation. 

The exhalations arising from the swamps and morasses 
around them, have a powerful effect on these new settlers, 
but all are intent on preparing for the winter. A small 
patch of ground is cleared by the axe and the fire, a tempo- 
rary cabin is erected, to each of the cattle is attached a 
jingling-bell before it is let loose into the neighbouring cane- 
brake, and the horses remain about the house, where they 
find sufficient food at that season. ‘The first trading boat 
that stops at their landing, enables them to provide them- 
selves with some flour, fish-hooks, and ammunition, as well 
as other commodities. ‘The looms are mounted, the spinning- 
wheels soon furnish some yarn, and in a few weeks the family 
throw off their ragged clothes, and array themselves in suits 
adapted to the climate. The father and sons meanwhile 
have sown turnips and other vegetables; and from some 
Kentucky flat boat a supply of live poultry has been 
procured. 

October tinges the leaves of the forest, the morning dews 


140 THE SQUATTERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI 


are heavy, the days hot, the nights chill, and the unac- 
climated family in a few days are attacked with ague. The 
lingering disease almost prostrates their whole faculties, and 
one seeing them at such a period might well call them sallow 
and sickly. Fortunately the unhealthy season soon passes 
over, and the hoar-frosts make their appearance. Gradu- 
ally each individual recovers strength. The largest ash 
trees are felled; their trunks are cut, split, and corded in 
front of the building; a large fire is lighted under night on 
the edge of the water, and soon a steamer calls to purchase 
the wood, and thus add to their comforts during the winter. 

This first fruit of their industry imparts new courage to 
them ; their exertions multiply, and when spring returns, the 
place has a cheerful look. Venison, bear’s flesh, wild tur- 
keys, ducks, and geese, with now and then some fish, have 
served to keep up their strength, and now their enlarged 
field is planted with corn, potatoes, and pumpkins. ‘Their 
stock of cattle, too, has augmented; the steamer, which now 
stops there as if by preference, buys a calf or a pig, to- 
gether with the whole of their wood. ‘Their store of pro- 
visions 1s renewed, and brighter rays of hope enliven their 
spirits. 

Who is he of the settlers on the Mississippi that cannot 
realize some profit? ‘Truly none who is industrious. When 
the autumnal months return, all are better prepared to en- 
counter the ague, which then prevails. Substantial food, 
suitable clothing, and abundant firing, repel its attacks; 
and before another twelvemonth has elapsed, the family is 
naturalized. 

The sons by this time have discovered a swamp covered 
with excellent timber, and as they have seen many great 
rafts of saw logs, bound for the mills of New Orleans, float- 
ing past their dwelling, they resolve to try the success of a 
little enterprise. Their industry and prudence have al- 
ready enhanced their credit. A few cross-saws are pur- 
chased, and some broad-wheeled “carry-logs” are made by 


THE SQUATTERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI 141 


themselves. Log after log is hauled to the bank of the 
river, and in a short time their first raft is made on the 
shore, and loaded with cord-wood. When the next freshet 
sets it afloat, it is secured by long grape-vines or cables, 
until the proper time being arrived, the husband and sons 
embark on it, and float down the mighty stream. 

After encountering many difficulties, they arrive in safety 
at New Orleans where they dispose of their stock, the money 
obtained for which may be said to be all profit; supply them- 
selves with such articles as may add to their convenience or 
comfort, and with light hearts, procure a passage on the 
upper deck of a steamer, at a very cheap rate, on account 
of the benefit of their labour in taking in wood or otherwise. 

And now the vessel approaches their home. See the joy- 
ous mother and daughters as they stand on the bank! A 
store of vegetables lies around them, a large tub of fresh 
milk is at their feet, and in their hands are plates filled with 
rolls of butter. As the steamer stops, three broad straw- 
hats are waved from its upper deck; and soon, husband and 
wife, brothers and sisters, are in each other’s embrace. The 
boat carries off the provisions, for which value has been 
left, and as the captain issues his orders for putting on the 
steam, the happy family enter their humble dwelling. The 
husband gives his bag of dollars to the wife, while the sons 
present some token of affection to their sisters. Surely, at 
such a moment, the Squatters are richly repaid for all their 
labours. 

Every successive year has increased their savings. 'They 
now possess a large stock of horses, cows, and hogs, with 
abundance of provisions, and domestic comfort of every kind. 
The daughters have been married to the sons of neighbour- 
ing Squatters, and have gained sisters to themselves by the 
marriage of their brothers. ‘The government secures to the 
family the lands, on which, twenty years before, they settled 
in poverty and sickness. Larger buildings are erected on 
piles, secure from the inundations; where a single cabin once 


142 THE SQUATTERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI 


stood, a neat village is now to be seen; warehouses, stores, 
and work-shops, increase the importance of the place. ‘The 
Squatters live respected and in due time die regretted, by 
all who knew them. 

Thus are the vast frontiers of our country peopled, and 
thus does cultivation, year after year, extend over the west- 
ern wilds. Time will no doubt be, when the great valley 
of the Mississippi, still covered with primeval forests, in- 
terspersed with swamps, will smile with corn-fields and 
orchards, while crowded cities will rise at intervals along 
its banks, and enlightened nations will rejoice in the bounties 
of Providence. 


THE SQUATTERS OF LABRADOR 


Go where you will, if a shilling can there be procured, you 
may expect to meet with individuals in search of it. 

In the course of last summer, I met with several persons 
as well as families, whom I could not compare to any thing 
else than what in America we understand by the appellation 
of Squatters. The methods they employ to accumulate 
property form the subject of the observation which I now 
lay before you. 

Our schooner lay at anchor in a beautiful basin on the 
coast of Labrador, surrounded by uncouth rocks of granite, 
partially covered with stunted vegetation. While search- 
ing for birds and other objects I chanced one morning 
to direct my eye towards the pinnacle of a small island, 
separated from the mainland by a very narrow channel; 
and presently I commenced inspecting it with my telescope. 
There I saw a man on his knees, with clasped hands, and face 
inclined heavenwards. Before him was a small monument 
of unhewn stones, supporting a wooden cross. In a word, 
reader, the person whom I thus unexpectedly discovered, 
was engaged in prayer. Such an incident in that desolate 
land was affecting, for there one seldom finds traces of 
human beings, and the aid of the Almighty, although 
necessary everywhere, seems there peculiarly required to en- 
able them to procure the means of subsistence. My 
curiosity having been raised, I betook myself to my boat, 
landed on the rock, and scrambled to the place, where I 
found the man still on his knees. When his devotions were 
concluded, he bowed to me, and addressed me in very in- 
different French. I asked him why he had chosen so dreary 
a spot for his prayers. “Because,” answered he, “the 


sea lies before me, and from it I receive my spring and 
143 


144 THE SQUATTERS OF LABRADOR 


summer sustenance. When winter approaches, I pray 
fronting the mountains on the Main, as at that period 
the karaboos come towards the shore, and I kill them, feed 
on their flesh, and form my bedding of their skins.” I 
thought the answer reasonable, and as I longed to know 
more} of him,; followed him to his hut. It was low and very 
small, formed! of;stones plastered with mud to a considerable 
Ahickness, ;./Ehe! xoof was composed of a sort of thatching 
made of weedsiandimoss. A large Dutch stove filled nearly 
oneshalf ofthe; place, a small port-hole, then stuffed with 
old; xags,.served; at; times instead of window; the bed was a 
pile iof| deer iskins;:a\/bowl, a jug, and an iron pot were 
placed on a rude shelf; three old and rusty muskets, their 
loeks,,fastened; by;;thongs,;stood-in a corner; and his buck 
shat, powder} :and flints, were tied up in bags of skin. - Hight 
Esquimau idogs yelled,and jleaped about us. ‘The strong 
smell,,that;;emanated: ftom them, together with the smoke 
and ifilth af, the apartment,jrendered my peace in it seme 
disagreeablessiii yioy a vd his 

«j Being) a; native Fife Rtisoereertthes good man shewed much 
politeness,!iand invited me.to take some refreshment, when, 
without,waiting for;my.assent;;he took up his bowl and 
went off.I knew: notiwhither:::;,No sooner had he and his 
strange:dogsi disappeared; than I:went out also, to breathe 
the. pure :air,iand:jgaze on thewild sand majestic scenery 
around.! I)wasistruck «with: thei extraordinary luxuriance 
of thei plants:andigrasses that! had sprung: up on the scanty 
soil.oni the little;valley which the Squatter;hadichosen for his 
home. «|Theirj stalks and«broad blades: reached’ my waist. 
June had. ‘comes and:'the-flies, .musquitoes, and;other imsects 
filled the air, andiwere as.‘troublesome toi/me asif I:had heen 
4n,a Eloridaiswampui'i/ jessie ail ia ide aan alt b 

i The; Squatter> ert? ibutshe:iwasechapfallen;+—nay 
I thought his: visage hdd; dssumed ia icadaverous shuei i» Dears 
ran down lhis:cheeks, and:he'told me:that his:‘barrel of; rum 
had been;stolen ‘by: the “eggers,” orsome fishermen!! He 


THE SQUATTERS OF LABRADOR 145 


said that he had been in the habit of hiding it in the bushes, 
to prevent its being carried away by those merciless thieves, 
who must have watched him in some of his frequent walks 
to the spot. “Now,” said he, “I can expect none until next 
spring, and God knows what will become of me in the 
winter !” 

Pierre Jean Baptiste Michaux had resided in that part 
of the world for upwards of ten years. He had run away 
from the fishing smack that had brought him from his fair 
native land, and expected to become rich some day by the 
sale of the furs, seal skins, eider down, and other articles 
which he collected yearly, and sold to the traders who 
regularly visited his dreary abode. He was of moderate 
stature, firmly framed, and as active as a wild cat. He 
told me that excepting the loss of his rum, he had never 
experienced any other cause of sorrow, and that he felt as 
“happy as a lord.” 

Before parting with this fortunate mortal, I inquired 
how his dogs managed to find sufficient food. ‘Why, Sir, 
during spring and summer they ramble along the shores, 
where they meet with abundance of dead fish, and in winter 
they eat the flesh of the seals which I kill late in autumn, 
when these animals return from the north. As to myself, 
every thing eatable is good, and when hard pushed, I 
assure you I can relish the fare of my dogs just as much as 
they do themselves.” 

Proceeding along the rugged indentations of the bay 
with my companions, I reached the settlement of another 
person, who, like the first, had come to Labrador with the 
view of making his fortune. We found him after many 
difficulties; but as our boats turned a long point jutting 
out into the bay, we were pleased to see several small 
schooners at anchor and one lying near a sort of wharf. 
Several neat-looking houses enlivened the view, and on 
Janding, we were kindly greeted with a polite welcome from 
‘a man who proved to be the owner of the establishment. 


146 THE SQUATTERS OF LABRADOR 


For the rude simplicity of him of the rum-cask, we found 
here the manners and dress of a man of the world. A hand- 
some fur cap covered his dark brow, his clothes were 
similar to our own, and his demeanour was that of a 
gentleman. On my giving my name to him, he shook me 
heartily by the hand, and on introducing each of my com- 
panions to him, he extended the like courtesy to them also. 
Then, to my astonishment, he addressed me as follows :— 
“My dear Sir, I have been expecting you these three weeks, 
having read in the papers your intention to visit Labrador, 
and some fishermen told me of your arrival at Little 
Natasguan. Gentlemen, walk in.” 

Having followed him to his neat and comfortable man- 
sion, he introduced us to his wife and children. Of the 
latter there were six, all robust and rosy. The lady, 
although a native of the country, was of French extraction, 
handsome, and sufficiently accomplished to make an excellent 
companion to a gentleman. A smart girl brought us a 
luncheon, consisting of bread, cheese, and good port wine, 
to which, (having rowed fourteen or fifteen miles that morn- 
ig,) we helped ourselves in a manner that seemed satisfactory 
to all parties. Our host gave us newspapers from different 
parts of the world, and shewed us his small but choice col- | 
lection of books. He inquired after the health of the 
amiable Captain Bayfield, of the Royal Navy, and the officers 
under him, and hoped they would give him a call. 

Having refreshed ourselves, we walked out with him, 
when he pointed to a very small garden, where a few 
vegetables sprouted out, anxious to see the sun. Gazing 
on the desolate country around, I asked him how he had 
thus secluded himself from the world. For it he had no 
relish, and although he had received a liberal education, 
and had mixed with society, he never intended to return to 
it. “The country around,” said he, “‘is all my own, much 
farther than you can see. No fees, no lawyers, no taxes are 
here. Ido pretty much as I choose. My means are ample, 


THE SQUATTERS OF LABRADOR 147 


through my own industry. These vessels come here for 
seal-skins, seal-oil, and salmon, and give me in return all the 
necessaries, and indeed comforts, of the life I love to follow; 
and what else could the world afford me!” I spoke of the 
education of his children. “My wife and I teach them all 
that is useful for them to know, and is not that enough? 
My girls will marry their countrymen, my sons the daughters 
of my neighbours, and I hope all of them will live and die in 
the country!” I said no more, but by way of compensation 
for the trouble I had given him, purchased from his eldest 
child a beautiful fox’s skin. 

Few birds, he said, came around him in summer, but in 
winter thousands of ptarmigans were killed, as well as great 
numbers of gulls. He had a great dislike to all fishermen 
and eggers, and I really believe was always glad to see the 
departure even of the hardy navigators who annually visited 
him for the sake of his salmon, seal-skins, and oil. He had 
more than forty Esquimau dogs; and, as I was caressing 
one of them, he said, “Tell my brother-in-law at Bras d’Or, 
that we are all well here, and that, after visiting my wife’s 
father, I will give him a call!” 

Now, reader, his wife’s father resided at the distance of 
seventy miles down the coast, and, like himself, was a recluse. 
He of Bras d’Or was at double that distance; but, when 
the snows of winter have thickly covered the country, the 
whole family, in sledges drawn by dogs, travel with ease, 
and pay their visits, or leave their cards. ‘This good gentle- 
man had already resided there more than twenty years. 
Should he ever read this article, I desire him to believe that 
I shall always be grateful to him and his wife for their 
hospitable welcome. 

When our schooner, the Ripley, arrived at Bras d’Or, I 
paid a visit to Mr. , the brother-in-law, who lived in 
a house imported from Quebec, which fronted the strait of 
Belle Isle, and overlooked a small island, over which the eye 
reached the coast of Newfoundland, whenever it was the 





148 THE SQUATTERS OF LABRADOR 


wind’s pleasure to drive away the fogs that usually lay 
over both coasts. The gentleman and his wife, we were told, 
were both out on a walk, but would return in a very short 
time, which they in fact did, when we followed them into 
the house, which was yet unfinished. ‘The usual immense 
Dutch stove formed a principal feature of the interior. 
The lady had once visited the metropolis of Canada, and 
seemed desirious of acting the part of a “blue-stocking.” 
Understanding that I knew something of the fine arts, 
she pointed to several of the vile prints hung on the bare 
walls, which she said were elegant Italian pictures, and 
continued her encomiums upon them, assuring me that she 
had purchased them from an Italian, who had come there 
with a trunk full of them. She had paid a shilling sterling 
for each, frame included! I could give no answer to the 
good lady on this subject, but I felt glad to find that she 
possessed a feeling heart. One of her children had caught 
a siskin, and was tormenting the poor bird, when she rose 
from her seat, took the little fluttering thing from the boy, 
kissed it, and gently launched it into the air. This made 
me forget the tattle about the fine arts. 

Some excellent milk was poured out for us in clean glasses. 
It was a pleasing sight, for not a cow had we yet seen in the 
country. ‘The lady turned the conversation on music, and 
asked if I played on any instrument. I answered that I 
did, but very indifferently. Her fort, she said, was music, 
of which she was indeed immoderately fond. Her instru- 
ment had been sent to Europe to be repaired but would re- 
turn that season, when the whole of her children would again 
perform many beautiful airs, for in fact any body could use 
it with ease, as when she or the children felt fatigued, the 
servant played on it for them. Rather surprised at the 
extraordinary powers of this family of musicians, I asked 
what sort of an instrument it was, when she described it 
as follows:—“Gentlemen, my instrument is large, longer 
than broad, and stands on four legs, like a table. At one 


THE SQUATTERS OF LABRADOR 149 


end is a crooked handle, by turning which round, either 
fast or slow, I do assure you we make most excellent music.” 
The lips of my young friends and companions instantly 
curled, but a glance from me as instantly recomposed their 
features. Telling the fair one that it must be a hand-organ 
she used, she laughingly said, “Ah, that is it: it is a hand-- 
organ, but I had forgot the name, and for the life of me 
could not recollect it.” — 

‘The husband had gone out to work, and was in the harbour 
calking an old schooner. He dined with me on board the 
Ripley, and proved to be also an excellent fellow. Like his 
brother-in-law, he had seen much of the world, having sailed 
nearly round it; and, although no‘scholar, like him, too, he 
was disgusted with it. He held his land on the same foot-. 
ing as his neighbours, caught seals without number, lived 
comfortably and happily, visited his father-in-law and the 
scholar, by the aid.of his dogs of which he kept a great 
pack,. bartered or sold his commodities, as his relations did, 
and cared about nothing else in the world. Whenever the 
weather was fair, he walked with his dame. over the moss-. 
covered rocks of the neighbourhood; and, during. winter, 
killed ptarmigans and Leaeleae while his eldest son attended 
to the traps, and skinned. the animals caught i in them. He 
had the only horse that was to be found in that part of the 
country as well as several cows; but, above all, he was kind 
to every one, and every one spoke well of him. The only 
disagreeable thing about his plantation or settlement, was. 
a heap of fifteen hundred carcasses of skinned seals, which, 
at the time when we visited the place, in the month of Aug- 
ust, “notwithstanding the coolness of the atmosphere, sent 
forth a stench that, according to the ideas of some natural- 
ists, might have sufficed to attract call the Vultures i in the 
United States. 

During our stay at nie s d’Or, the Ped ieey aa good 
Mrs. daily sent us fresh milk. and butter, for which 
we were denied the pleasure of making any return. 





DEATH OF A PIRATE 


In the calm of a fine moonlight night, as I was admiring the 
beauty of the clear heavens, and the broad glare of light 
that glanced from the trembling surface of the waters 
around, the officer on watch came up and entered into con- 
versation with me. He had been a “‘turtler’’ in other years, 
and a great hunter to boot, and although of humble birth 
and pretensions, energy and talent, aided by education, had 
raised him to a higher station. Such a man could not fail 
to be an agreeable companion, and we talked on various 
subjects, principally, you may be sure, birds and other 
natural productions. He told me he once had a disagreeable 
adventure, when looking out for game, in a certain cove on 
the shores of the Gulf of Mexico; and on my expressing a 
desire to hear it, he willingly related to me the following 
particulars, which I give you not perhaps precisely in his 
own words, but as nearly so as I can remember. 

“Towards evening, one quiet summer day, I chanced to 
be paddling along a sandy shore, which I thought well fitted 
for my repose, being covered with tall grass, and as the sun 
was not many degrees above the horizon, I felt anxious to 
pitch my musquito-bar or net, and spend the night in this 
wilderness. ‘The bellowing notes of thousands of bull-frogs 
in a neighbouring swamp might lull me to rest, and I 
looked upon the flocks of blackbirds that were assembling 
as sure companions in this secluded retreat. 

“T proceeded up a little stream, to insure the safety of my 
canoe from any sudden storm, when, as I gladly advanced, 
a beautiful yawl came unexpectedly in view. Surprised at 
such a sight in a part of the country then scarcely known, 
I felt a sudden check in the circulation of my blood. My 


paddle dropped from my hands, and fearfully indeed, as 
| | 150 


DEATH OF A PIRATE 151 


I picked it up, did I look towards the unknown boat. On 
reaching it, I saw its sides marked with stains of blood, and 
looking with anxiety over the gunwale, I perceived to my 
horror, two human bodies covered with gore. Pirates or 
hostile Indians I was persuaded had perpetrated the foul 
deed, and my alarm naturally increased ; my heart fluttered, 
stopped, and heaved with unusual tremors, and I looked 
towards the setting sun in consternation and despair. How 
long my reveries lasted I cannot tell; I can only recollect 
that I was roused from them by the distant groans of one 
apparently in mortal agony. I felt as if refreshed by the 
cold perspiration that oozed from every pore, and I reflected 
that though alone, I was well armed, and might hope for the 
protection of the Almighty. 

‘““Humanity whispered to me that, if not surprised and 
disabled, I might render assistance to some sufferer, or even 
be the means of saving a useful life. Buoyed up by this 
thought, I urged my canoe on shore, and seizing it by the 
bow, pulled it at one spring high among the grass. 

“The groans of the unfortunate person fell heavy on my 
ears, as I cocked and re-primed my gun, and I felt determined 
to shoot the first that should rise from the grass. <As I 
cautiously proceeded, a hand was raised over the weeds, and 
waved in the air in the most supplicating manner. [I levelled 
my gun about a foot below it, when the next moment, the 
head and breast of a man covered with blood were con- 
vulsively raised, and a faint hoarse voice asked me for mercy 
and help! A death-like silence followed his fall to the 
ground. I surveyed every object around with eyes intent, 
and ears impressible by the slightest sou.ad, for my situation 
that moment I thought as critical as any I had ever been in. 
The croakings of the frogs, and the last blackbirds alighting 
on their roosts, were the only sounds or sights; and I now 
proceeded towards the object of my mingled alarm and 
commiseration. 

“Alas! the poor being who lay prostrate at my feet, was 


152 DEATH OF A, PIRATE 


so weakened by the loss of blood, that I had nothing to 
fear from him. My first impulse was to run back to the. 
water, and having done so, I returned with my cap filled to 
the brim.- I felt at his heart, washed his face and breast, 
and rubbed his temples with the contents of a phial, which 
I kept about meas an antidote for the bites of snakes. 
His features, seamed by the ravages of time, looked fright- 
ful and disgusting; but he had been a powerful man, as Hy: 
breadth of his chest plainly shewed. He groaned in the 
most. appalling manner, as his breath - struggled through 
the mass of blood that seemed to fill his throat. His. dress 
plainly. disclosed his occupation—a large pistol he. had 
thrust into his bosom, a naked cutlass lay near him on the 
ground, a red silk handkerchief was bound over his project-. 
ing Deon: and over a pair of loose trowsers he wore. fisher- 
man’s boots. . He was, in short, a pirate. 3 

“My exertions were not in vain, for as I continued. to Soe 
his. temples, he revived, his pulse. resumed. some strength, 
and I began. to hope that. he might perhaps survive the 
deep. wounds which he had received. Darkness, deep dark- 
ness, now enveloped us. 0 spoke of making a_fire. ‘Oh! 
for mercy’s sake,’ he exclaimed, ‘don’t.’ . Knowing, how- 
ever, that. under existing circumstances it was expedient 
for me to do so, I left him, went to his boat, and brought. 
the rudder, the benches, and the oars, which with my hatchet 
I soon. splintered. I then. struck a light, and presently 
stood in the glare of a blazing fire. The pirate. seemed, 
struggling between terror and gratitude for my assistance ; ; 
he desired me several times in half English and Spanish, to 
put out the flames, but after I had given hima draught of 
strong spirits, he at length became more composed. if tried 
to staunch the blood that flowed from. the deep. gashes i m 
his shoulders and side. I expressed my regret. that I had 
no food about me, but when. I spoke of eating. he sullenly 
waved his head. 

“My situation Was one of the most extraordinary Ape I 


DEATH OF A PIRATE 153 


have ever been placed in. I naturally turned my talk to- 
wards religious subjects, but, alas, the dying man hardly be- 
lieved in the existence of a God. ‘Friend,’ said he, ‘for 
friend you seem to be, I never studied the ways of Him of 
whom you talk. I am an outlaw, perhaps you will say a 
wretch,—I have been for many years a Pirate. The in- 
structions of my parents were of no avail to me, for I have 
always believed that I was born to be a most cruel man. I 
now lie here, about to die in the weeds, because I long ago 
refused to listen to their many admonitions. Do not shudder 
when I tell you—these now useless hands murdered the 
mother whom they embraced. I feel that I have deserved the 
pangs of the wretched death that hovers over me; and I am 
thankful that one of my kind will alone witness my last 
gasps.’ 

“A fond but feeble hope that I might save his life, and 
perhaps assist in procuring his pardon, induced me to 
speak to him on the subject. ‘It is all in vain, friend—I 
have no objection to die—I am glad that the villains who 
wounded me were not my conquerors—I want no pardon 
from any one— Give me some water, and let me die alone.’ 

“With the hope that I might learn from his conversation 
something that might lead to the capture of his guilty 
associates, I returned from the creek with another cap-ful 
of water, nearly the whole of which I managed to introduce 
into his parched mouth, and begged him, for the sake of his 
future peace, to disclose his history to me. ‘It is im- 
possible,’ said he, ‘there will not be time; the beatings of 
my heart tell me so. Long before day, these sinewy limbs 
will be motionless. Nay, there will hardly be a drop of 
blood in my body; and that blood will only serve to make 
the grass grow. My wounds are mortal and I must and 
will die without what you call confession.’ 

‘The moon rose in the east. The majesty of her placid 
beauty impressed me with reverence. I pointed towards 
her, and asked the Pirate if he could not recognise God’s 


154 DEATH OF A PIRATE 


features there. ‘Friend, I see what you are driving at,’ 
was his answer,—‘you, like the rest of our enemies, feel the 
desire of murdering us.—Well—be it so—to die is after all 
nothing more than a jest; and were it not for the pain, no 
one, in my opinion, need care a jot about it. But, as you 
really have befriended me, I will tell you all that is proper.’ 

“Hoping his mind might take a useful turn, I again bathed 
his temples and washed his lips with spirits. His sunk 
eyes seemed to dart fire at mine—a heavy and deep sigh 
swelled his chest and struggled through his blood-choked 
throat, and he asked me to raise him for a little. I did so, 
when he addressed me somewhat as follows, for, as I have told 
you, his speech was a mixture of Spanish, French and 
English, forming a jargon, the like of which I had never 
heard before, and which I am utterly unable to imitate. 
However I shall give you the substance of his declaration. 

** ‘First tell me, how many bodies you found in the boat, 
and what sort of dresses they had on.’ I mentioned their 
number, and described their apparel. ‘That’s right,’ said 
he, ‘they are the bodies of the scoundrels who followed me 
in that infernal Yankee barge. Bold rascals they were, 
for when they found the water too shallow for their craft, 
they took to it and waded after me. AIl my companions 
had been shot, and to lighten my own boat I flung them 
overboard; but as I lost time in this, the two ruffians caught 
hold of my gunwale, and struck on my head and body in 
such a manner, that after I had disabled and killed them 
both in the boat, I was scarce able to move. The other 
villains carried off our schooner and one of our boats, and 
perhaps ere now have hung all my companions whom they 
did not kill at the time. I have commanded my beautiful 
vessel many years, captured many ships, and sent many 
rascals to the devil. I always hated the Yankees, and only 
regret that I have not killed more of them.—I sailed from 
Matanzas.—I have often been in concert with others. I 
have money without counting, but it is buried where it 


DEATH OF A PIRATE 155 


will never be found, and it would be useless to tell you of it.’ 
His throat filled with blood, his voice failed, the cold hand 
of death was laid on his brow, feebly and hurriedly he 
muttered, ‘I am a dying man, farewell!’ 

“Alas! It is painful to see death in any shape; in this 
it was horrible, for there was no hope. The rattling of his 
throat announced the moment of dissolution, and already did 
the body fall on my arms with a weight that was insupport- 
able. I laid him on the ground. A mass of dark blood 
poured from his mouth; then came a frightful groan, the last 
breathing of that foul spirit; and what now lay at my feet 
in the wild desert?—a mangled mass of clay! 

“The remainder of that night was passed in no enviable 
mood; but my feelings cannot be described. At dawn I 
dug a hole with the paddle of my canoe, rolled the body 
into it, and covered it. On reaching the boat I found 
several buzzards feeding on the bodies, which I in vain 
attempted to drag to the shore. I therefore covered them 
with mud and weeds, and launching my canoe, paddled 
from the cove with a secret joy for my escape, overshaded 
with the gloom of mingled dread and abhorrence.” 


A BALL IN NEWFOUNDLAND 


On our return from the singularly wild and interesting 
country of Labrador, the “Ripley” sailed close along the 
northern coast of Newfoundland. The weather was mild 
and clear; and, while my young companions amused them- 
selves on the deck with the music of various instruments, 
I gazed on the romantic scenery spread along the bold and 
oiten magnificent shores. Portions of the wilds appeared 
covered with a luxuriance of vegetable growth far surpass- 
ing that of the regions which we had just left, and in some of 
the valleys I thought I saw trees of moderate size. The 
number of habitations increased apace, and many small 
vessels and boats danced on the waves of the coves which 
we passed. Here a precipitous shore looked like the section 
of a great mountain, of which the lost half had sunk into 
the depths of the sea, and the dashing of the waters along 
its base was such as to alarm the most daring seaman. ‘The 
huge masses of broken rock impressed my mind with awe and 
reverence, as I thought of the power that still gave support to 
the gigantic fragments which every where hung, as if by 
magic, over the sea, awaiting, as it were, the proper moment 
to fall upon and crush the impious crew of some piratical 
vessel. There again, gently swelling hills reared their heads 
towards the sky, as if desirous of existing within the influ- 
ence of its azure purity; and I thought the bleats of rein- 
deer came on my ear. Dark clouds of Curlews were seen 
winging their way towards the south, and thousands of 
Larks and Warblers were flitting through the air. The 
sight of these birds excited in me a wish that I also had wings 
to fly back to my country and friends. 

Early one morning our vessel doubled the northern cape 


of the Bay of St. George; and, as the wind was light, the 
156 


A BALL IN NEWFOUNDLAND 157 


sight of that magnificent expanse of water, which extends 
inward to the length of eighteen leagues, with a breadth of 
thirteen, gladdened the hearts of all on board. <A long 
range of bold shores bordered it on one side, throwing a deep 
shadow over the water, which added greatly to the beauty 
of the scene. On the other side, the mild beams of the au- 
-tumnal’sun glittered on the water, and whitened the sails of 
‘the little barks that. were sailing to and fro, like so many 
silvery gulls. “The welcome sight of cattle feeding in culti- 
vated meadows, and of people at their vocations, consoled 
us for the labours which we had undergone, and the priva- 
tions which we had suffered; and, as the “Ripley” steered 
her course into’ a snug harbour that suddenly opened to our 
view, the number of vessels that were anchored there, and a 
pretty village that presented itself, increased our delight. 

» Although the sun was fast approaching the western hori- 
zon when our anchor was dropped, no sooner were the sails 
furled than we all went ashore. There appeared a kind of 
‘curious bustle among the people, as if they were anxious to 
know who we were, for our appearance, and that of our 
warlike looking schooner, shewed that we were not fishermen. 
As we bore our usual arms and hunting accoutrements, which 
were half Indian and half civilized, the individuals we met 
on the shore manifested considerable suspicion, which our 
captain observing, instantly made a signal, when the star- 
spangled banner glided to the mast-head, and saluted the 
flags of France and Britain in kindly greeting. We were 
-welcomed. and supplied with abundance of fresh provisions. 
‘Glad at once more standing on something like soil, we passed 
through the village, and walked round it, but as night was 
falling, were quickly obliged to return to our floating home, 
where, after a hearty supper, we serenaded with repeated 
glees the peaceful inhabitants of the village. 

At early dawn I was on deck admiring the scene of in- 
_dustry that presented itself. ‘The harbour was already cov- 
ered with fishing-boats, employed in procuring mackerel, 


158 A BALL IN NEWFOUNDLAND 


some of which we appropriated to ourselves. Signs of culti- 
vation were observed on the slopes of the hills, the trees 
seemed of goodly size, a river made its way between two 
ranges of steep rocks, and here and there a group of Mick- 
mack Indians were searching along the shores for lobsters, 
crabs, and eels, all of which we found abundant and de- 
licious. A canoe laden with rein-deer meat came along-side, 
paddled by a pair of athletic Indians, who exchanged their 
cargo for some of our stores. You would have been amused 
to see the manner in which these men, and their families on 
shore, cooked the lobsters; they threw them alive into a 
great wood-fire; and, as soon as they were broiled, devoured 
them while yet so hot that any of us could not have touched 
them. When properly cooled, I tasted these roasted lob- 
sters, and found them infinitely better flavoured than boiled 
ones. ‘The country was represented as abounding in game. 
The temperature was higher, by twenty degrees than that of 
Labrador, and yet I was told that the ice of the bay seldom 
broke up before the middle of May, and that few vessels 
attempted to go to Labrador before the 10th of June, when 
the codfishery at once commences. 

One afternoon we were visited by a deputation from the 
inhabitants of the village, inviting our whole party to a ball 
which was to take place that night, and requesting us to 
take with us our musical instruments. We unanimously ac- 
cepted the invitation which had been made from friendly 
feelings; and finding that the deputies had a relish for “old 
Jamaica,” we helped them pretty freely to some, which soon 
shewed that it had lost nothing of its energies by having 
visited Labrador. At ten o’clock, the appointed hour, we 
landed, and were lighted to the dancing hall by paper lan- 
terns, one of us carrying a flute, another a violin, and I with 
a flageolet stuck into my waistcoat pocket. 

The hall proved nothing less than the ground floor of a 
fisherman’s house. We were presented to his wife, who, 
like her neighbours, was an adept in the piscatory art. She 


A BALL IN NEWFOUNDLAND 159 


courtesied, not a@ la Taglioni, it is true, but with a modest 
assurance, which to me was quite as pleasing as the airiness 
with which the admired performer just mentioned might 
have paid her respects. The good woman was rather un- 
prepared and quite en negligée, as was the apartment, but 
full of activity, and anxious to arrange things in becoming 
style. In one hand she held a bunch of candles, in the other 
a lighted torch, and distributing the former at proper inter- 
vals along the walls, she applied the later to them in succes- 
sion. This done, she emptied the contents of a large tin 
vessel into a number of glasses which were placed in a tea- 
tray on the only table in the room. The chimney, black and 
capacious, was embellished with coffee-pots, milk-jugs, cups 
and saucers, knives and forks, and all the paraphernalia 
necessary on so important an occasion. <A set of primitive 
wooden stools and benches was placed around, for the recep- 
tion of the belles of the village, some of whom now dropped 
in, flourishing in all the rosy fatness produced by an invig- 
orating northern climate, and in decoration vying with the 
noblest Indian queen of the west. Their stays seemed ready 
to burst open, and their shoes were equally pressed, so full of 
sap were the arctic beauties. Around their necks brilliant 
beads, mingled with ebony tresses, and their naked arms 
might have inspired apprehension had they not been con- 
stantly employed in arranging flowing ribbons, gaudy 
flowers, and muslin flounces. 

Now arrived one of the beaux, just returned from the fish- 
ing, who, knowing all, and being equally known, leaped with- 
out ceremony on the loose boards that formed a kind of loft 
overhead, where he soon exchanged his dripping apparel for 
a dress suited to the occasion, when he dropped upon the 
floor, and strutting up and down, bowed and scraped to the 
ladies, with as much ease, if not elegance, as a Bond Street 
highly-scented exquisite. Others came in by degrees, ready 
dressed, and music was called for. My son, by way of over- 
ture, played “Hail Columbia, happy land,” then went on 


160 A BALL IN NEWFOUNDLAND 


with “La Marseillaise,” and ended with “God save the 
King.” Being merely a spectator, I ensconsed myself in 
a corner, by the side of an old European gentleman, whom 
I found an agreeable and well-informed companion, to ad- 
mire the decorum of the motley assemblage. 

The dancers stood in array, little time having been spent 
in choosing partners, and a Canadian accompanying my son 
on his Cremona, mirth and joy soon abounded. Dancing is 
certainly one of the most healthful and innocent amusements. 
I have loved it a vast deal more than watching for the nibble 
of a trout, and I have sometimes thought enjoying it with 
an agreeable female softened my nature as much as the pale 
pure light of the moon softens and beautifies a winter night. 
A maiden lady, who sat at my side, and who was the only 
daughter of my talkative companion, relished my remarks 
on the subject so much, that the next set saw her gracing the 
floor with her tutored feet. 

At each pause of the musicians, refreshments were handed 
round by the hostess and her son, and I was not a little sur- 
prised to see all the ladies, maids and matrons, swallow like 
their sweethearts and husbands, a full glass of pure rum, 
with evident pleasure. I should perhaps have recollected 
that, in cold climates, a dose of ardent spirits is not pro- 
ductive of the same effects as in burning latitudes, and that 
refinement had not yet induced these healthy and robust 
dames to affect a delicacy foreign to their nature. 

It was now late, and knowing how much I had to accom- 
plish next day, I left the party and proceeded towards the 
shore. My men were sound asleep in the boat, but in a few 
moments I was on board the “Ripley.” My young friends 
arrived towards daylight, but many of the fishermen’s sons 
and daughters kept up the dance, to this music of the Cana- 
dian, until after our breakfast was over. 

Although all the females whom I had seen at this ball 
were perfectly free from mauvaise honte, we were much sur- 
prised when some of them, which we afterwards met in the 


A BALL IN NEWFOUNDLAND 161 


course of our rambles in the neighbouring meadows and 
fields, ran off on seeing us, like gazelles before jackalls. 
One, bearing a pail of water on her head, dropped it the 
moment she saw us, and ran into the woods to hide herself. 
Another, who was in search of a cow, on observing us going 
towards her, took to the water and waded through an inlet 
more than waist-deep, after which she made for home with 
the speed of a frightened hare. On inquiring the reason of 
this strange conduct, the only answer I received from several 
was a deep blush! 


THE LIVE-OAKERS 


Tue greater part of the forests of East Florida principally 
consists of what in that country are called “Pine Barrens.” 
In these districts, the woods are rather thin, and the only 
trees that are seen in them are tall pines of rather indifferent 
quality, beneath which is a growth of rank grass, here and 
there mixed with low bushes and sword palmettoes. ‘The 
soil is of an sandy nature, mostly flat, and consequently 
either covered with water during the rainy season, or 
parched in the summer and autumn, although you meet at 
times with ponds of stagnant water, where the cattle, which 
are abundant, allay their thirst, and around which resort the 
various kinds of game found in these wilds. 

The traveller who has pursued his course for many miles 
over the barrens, is suddenly delighted to see in the distance 
the appearance of a dark “hummock” of live oaks and other 
trees, seeming as if they had been planted in the wilderness. 
As he approaches, the air feels cooler and more salubrious, 
the song of numerous birds delights his ear, the herbage as- 
sumes a more luxuriant appearance, the flowers become 
larger and brighter, and a grateful fragrance is diffused 
around. ‘These objects contribute to refresh his mind, as 
much as the sight of the waters of some clear spring, gliding 
among the undergrowth, seems already to allay his thirst. 
Over head festoons of innumerable vines, jessamines, and 
bignonias, link each tree with those around it, their slender 
stems being interlaced as if in mutual affection. No sooner, 
in the shade of these beautiful woods, has the traveller fin- 
ished his mid-day repast, than he perceives small parties of 
men lightly accoutred, and each bearing an axe, approach- 


ing towards his resting place. ‘They exchange the usual 
162 


THE LIVE-OAKERS | 163 


civilities, and immediately commence their labours, for they 
too have just finished their meal. 

I think I see them proceeding to their work. Here two 
have stationed themselves on the opposite sides of the trunk 
of a noble and venerable live-oak. Their keen-edged and 
well-tempered axes seem to make no impression on it, so small 
are the chips that drop at each blow around the mossy and 
wide-spreading roots. ‘There, one is ascending the stem of 
another, of which, in its fall, the arms have stuck among the 
tangled tops of the neighbouring trees. See how cautiously 
he proceeds, barefooted, and with a handkerchief round his 
head. Now he has climbed to the height of about forty 
feet from the ground; he stops, and squaring himself with 
the trunk on which he so boldly stands, he wields with sinewy 
arms his trusty blade, the repeated blows of which, although 
the tree be as tough as it is large, will soon sever it in two. 
He has changed sides, and his back is turned to you. The 
trunk now remains connected by only a thin strip of wood. 
He places his feet on the part which is lodged, and shakes 
it with all his might. Now swings the huge log under his 
leaps, now it suddenly gives way, and as it strikes upon the 
ground its echoes are repeated through the hummock, and 
every wild turkey within hearing utters his gobble of recog- 
nition. ‘The wood-cutter, however, remains collected and 
composed; but the next moment, he throws his axe to the 
ground, and, assisted by the nearest grape-vine, slides down 
and reaches the earth in an instant. 

Several men approach and examine the prostrate trunk. 
They cut at both its extremities, and sound the whole of its 
bark, to enable them to judge if the tree has been attacked 
by the white-rot. If such has unfortunately been the case, 
there, for a century or more, this huge log will remain until 
it gradually crumbles; but if not, and if it is free of injury 
or “wind-shakes,” while there is no appearance of the sap 
having already ascended, and its pores are altogether sound, 
they proceed to take its measurement. Its shape ascer- 


164 THE LIVE-OAKERS 


tained, and the timber that is fit for use laid out by the aid 
of models, which, like fragments of the skeleton of a ship, 
shew the forms and sizes required, the hewers commence their 
labours. Thus, reader, perhaps every known hummock in 
the Floridas is annually attacked, and so often does it hap- 
pen that the white-rot or some other disease has deteriorated 
the quality of the timber, that the woods may be seen strewn 
with trunks that have been found worthless, so that every 
year these valuable oaks are becoming scarcer. ‘The de- 
struction of the young trees of their species caused by the 
fall of the great trunks is of course immense, and as there are 
no artificial plantations of these trees in our country, before 
long a good sized live-oak will be so valuable that its owner 
will exact an enormous price for it, even while it yet stands 
in the wood. In my opinion, formed on personal observa- 
tion, live-oak hummocks are not quite so plentiful as they are 
represented to be, and of this I will give you one illustration. 

On the 25th of February, 1832, I happened to be far up 
the St. John’s River, in East Florida, in the company of a 
person employed by our government in protecting the live- 
oaks of that section of the country, and who received a good 
salary for his trouble. While we were proceeding along one 
of the banks of that most singular stream, my companion 
pointed out some large hummocks of dark-leaved trees on the 
opposite side, which he said were entirely formed of live- 
oaks. I thought differently, and as our controversy on the 
subject became a little warm, I proposed that our men should 
row us to the place, where we might examine the leaves and 
timber, and so decide the point. We soon landed, but after 
inspecting the woods, not a single tree of the species did we 
find, although there were thousands of large “swamp-oaks.” 
My companion acknowledged his mistake, and I continued to 
search for birds. 

One dark evening as I was seated on the banks of the same 
river, considering what arrangements I should make for the 
night, as it began to rain in torrents, a man who happened 


THE LIVE-OAKERS 165 


to see me, came up and invited me to go to his cabin, which 
he said was not far off. I accepted his kind offer, and fol- 
lowed him to his humble dwelling. There I found his wife, 
several children, and a number of men, who, as my host told 
me, were, like himself, Live-Oakers. Supper was placed on 
a large table, and on being desired to join the party, I will- 
ingly assented, doing my best to diminish the contents of the 
tin pans and dishes set before the company by the active and 
agreeable house-wife. We then talked of the country, its 
climate and productions, until a late hour, when we laid our- 
selves down on bears’ skins, and reposed till day-break. 

I longed to accompany these hardy wood-cutters to the 
hummock where they were engaged in preparing live-oak 
timber for a man-of-war. Provided with axes and guns, 
we left the house to the care of the wife and children, and 
proceeded for several miles through a pine-barren, such as 
I have attempted to describe. One fine wild turkey was 
shot, and when we arrived at the shantece put up near the 
hummock, we found another party of wood-cutters waiting 
our arrival, before eating their breakfast, already prepared 
by a negro man, to whom the turkey was consigned to be 
roasted for part of that day’s dinner. 

Our repast was an excellent one, and vied with a Kentucky 
breakfast: beef, fish, potatoes, and other vegetables, were 
served up, with coffee in tin cups, and plenty of biscuit. 
Every man seemed hungry and happy, and the conversation 
assumed the most humorous character. The sun now rose 
above the trees, and all, excepting the cook, proceeded to 
the hummock, on which I had been gazing with great de- 
light, as it promised rare sport. My host, I found, was 
the chief of the party; and although he also had an axe, 
he made no other use of it than for stripping here and there 
pieces of bark from certain trees which he considered of 
doubtful soundness. He was not only well versed in his pro- 
fession, but generally intelligent, and from him I received 
the following account, which I noted at the time. 


166 THE LIVE-OAKERS 


The men who are employed in cutting the live-oak, after 
having discovered a good hummock, build shantees of small 
logs, to retire to at night, and feed in by day. ‘Their pro- 
visions consist of beef, pork, potatoes, biscuits, flour, rice, 
and fish, together with excellent whisky. They are mostly 
hale, strong, and active men, from the eastern parts of the 
Union, and receive excellent wages, according to their dif- 
ferent abilities. Their labours are only of a few months’ 
duration. Such hummocks as are found near navigable 
streams are first chosen, and when it is absolutely necessary, 
the timber is sometimes hauled five or six miles to the nearest 
water-course, where, although it sinks, it can, with com- 
_ parative ease, be shipped to its destination. 'The best time 
for cutting the live-oak is considered to be from the first of 
December to the beginning of March, or while the sap is 
completely down. When the sap is flowing, the tree is 
“bloom,” and more apt to be “shaken.” The white-rot, 
which occurs so frequently in the live-oak, and is perceptible 
only by the best judges, consists of round spots, about an 
inch and a half in diameter, on the outside of the bark, 
through which, at that spot, a hard stick may be driven 
several inches, and generally follows the heart up or down 
the trunk of the tree. So deceptive are these spots and 
trees to persons unacquainted with this defect, that thou- 
sands of trees are cut and afterwards abandoned. The 
great number of trees of this sort strewn in the woods would 
tend to make a stranger believe that there is much more good 
oak in the country than there really is; and perhaps, in 
reality, not more than one fourth of the quantity usually 
reported, is to be procured. 

The Live-Oakers generally revisit their distant homes in 
the Middle and Eastern Districts, where they spend the sum- 
mer, returning to the Floridas at the approach of winter. 
Some, however, who have gone there with their families, re- 
main for years in succession; although they suffer much 


THE LIVE-OAKERS 167 


from the climate, by which their once good constitutions 
are often greatly impaired. This was the case with the 
individual above-mentioned, from whom I subsequently re- 
ceived much friendly assistance in my pursuits. 


SPRING GARDEN 


Havine heard many wonderful accounts of a certain spring 
near the sources of the St. John’s River, in East Florida, I 
resolved to visit it, in order to judge for myself. On the 
6th of January, 1832, I left the plantation of my friend 
John Bulow, accompanied by an amiable and accomplished 
Scotch gentleman, an engineer employed by the planters of 
those districts in erecting their sugar-house establishments. 
We were mounted on horses of the Indian breed, remarkable 
for their activity and strength, and were provided with guns 
and some provisions. The weather was pleasant, but not 
so our way, for no sooner had we left the “King’s Road,” 
which had been cut by the Spanish government for a goodly 
distance, than we entered a thicket of scrubby oaks, suc- 
ceeded by a still denser mass of low palmettoes, which ex- 
tended about three miles, and among the roots of which our 
nags had great difficulty in making good their footing. 
After this we entered the Pine Barrens, very extensively dis- 
tributed in this portion of the Floridas. ‘The sand seemed 
to be all sand and nothing but sand, and the palmettoes at 
times so covered the narrow Indian trail which we followed, 
that it required all the instinct or sagacity of ourselves and 
our horses to keep it. It seemed to us as if we were ap- 
proaching the end of the world. The country was perfectly 
flat, and, so far as we could survey it, presented the same 
-wild and scraggy aspect. My companion, who had tray- 
elled there before, assured me that, at particular seasons of 
the year, he had crossed the barrens when they were covered 
with water fully knee-deep, when, according to his expres- 
sion, they “looked most awful;” and I really believed him, as 


we now and then passed through muddy pools, which reached 
168 


SPRING GARDEN 169 


the saddle-girths of our horses. Here and there large tracts 
covered with tall grasses, and resembling the prairies of the 
western wilds, opened to our view. Wherever the country 
happened to be sunk a little beneath the general level, it was 
covered with cyprus trees, whose spreading arms were hung 
with a profusion of Spanish moss. The soil in such cases 
consisted of black mud, and was densely covered with bushes, 
chiefly of the Magnolia family. 

We crossed in succession the heads of three branches of 
Haw Creek, of which the waters spread from a quarter to 
half a mile in breadth, and through which we made our way 
with extreme difficulty. While in the middle of one, my 
companion told me, that once when in the very spot where we 
then stood, his horse chanced to place his fore-feet on the 
back of a large alligator, which, not well pleased at being 
disturbed in his repose, suddenly raised his head, opened his 
monstrous jaws, and snapped off a part of the lips of his 
affrighted pony. You may imagine the terror of the poor 
beast, which, however, after a few plunges, resumed its 
course, and succeeded in carrying its rider through in safety. 
As a reward for this achievement, it was ever after honoured 
with the appellation of “Alligator.” 

We had now travelled about twenty miles, and the sun 
having reached the zenith, we dismounted to partake of some 
refreshment. From a muddy pool we contrived to obtain 
enough of tolerably clear water to mix with the contents of 
a bottle, the like of which I would strongly recommend to 
every traveller in these swampy regions; our horses, too, 
found something to grind among the herbage that sur- 
rounded the little pool; but as little time was to be lost, we 
quickly remounted, and resumed our disagreeable journey, 
during which we had at no time proceeded at a rate exceed- 
ing two miles and a half in the hour. 

All at once, however, a wonderful change took place :—the 
country became more elevated and undulary; the timber was 
of a different nature, and consisted of red and live oaks, 


170 SPRING GARDEN 


magnolias, and several kinds of pine. Thousands of “mole- 
hills,” or the habitations of an animal here called “the sala- 
mander,” and “goffer’s burrows,” presented themselves to 
the eye, and greatly annoyed our horses, which every now 
and then sank to the depth of a foot, and stumbled at the 
risk of breaking their legs, and what we considered fully as 
valuable, our necks. We now saw beautiful lakes of the 
purest water, and passed along a green space, having a series 
of them on each side of us. These sheets of water be- 
came larger and more numerous the farther we advanced, 
some of them extending to a length of several miles, and hav- 
ing a depth of from two to twenty feet of clear water; but 
their shores being destitute of vegetation, we observed no 
birds near them. Many tortoises, however, were seen bask- 
ing in the sun, and all, as we approached, plunged into the 
water. Nota trace of man did we observe during our jour- 
ney, scarcely a bird, and not a single quadruped, not even a 
rat; nor can one imagine a poorer and more desolate country 
than that which lies between the Halifax River, which we had 
left in the morning, and the undulary grounds at which we 
had now arrived. 

But at length we perceived the tracks of living beings, and 
soon after saw the huts of Colonel Rees’s negroes. Scarcely 
could ever African traveller have approached the city of 
Timbuctoo with more excited curiosity than we felt in ap- 
proaching this plantation. Our Indian horses seemed to 
participate in our joy, and trotted at a smart rate towards 
the principal building, at the door of which we leaped from 
our saddles, just as the sun was withdrawing his ruddy light. 
Colonel Rees was at home, and received us with great kind- 
ness. Refreshments were immediately placed before us, 
and we spent the evening in agreeable conversation. 

The next day I walked over the plantation, and examining 
the country around, found the soil of good quality, it having 
been reclaimed from swampy ground of a black colour, rich 
and very productive. ‘The greater part of the cultivated 


SPRING GARDEN L71 


land was on the borders of a lake, which communicates with 
others, leading to the St. John’s River, distant about seven 
miles, and navigable so far by vessels not exceeding fifty or 
sixty tons. After breakfast, our amiable host shewed us 
the way to the celebrated spring, the sight of which afforded 
me pleasure sufficient to counterbalance the tediousness of 
my journey. 

This spring presents a circular basin, having a diameter 
of about sixty feet, from the centre of which the water is 
thrown up with great force, although it does not rise to a 
height of more than a few inches above the general level. 
A kind of whirlpool is formed, on the edges of which are 
deposited vast quantities of shells, with pieces of wood, 
gravel, and other substances, which have coalesced into solid 
masses having a very curious appearance. ‘The water is 
quite transparent, although of a dark colour, but so impreg- 
nated with sulphur, that it emits an odour which to me was 
highly nauseous. Its surface lies fifteen or twenty feet be- 
low the level of the woodland lakes in the neighborhood, and 
its depth, in the autumnal months is about seventeen feet, 
when the water is lowest. In all the lakes, the same species 
of shells as those thrown up by the spring, occur in abun- 
dance, and it seems more than probable that it is formed of 
the water collected from them by infiltration, or forms the 
subterranean outlet of some of them. ‘The lakes themselves 
are merely reservoirs, containing the residue of the waters 
which fall during the rainy seasons, and contributing to 
supply the waters of the St. John’s River, with which they 
all seem to communicate by similar means. This spring 
pours its waters into “Rees’s Lake,” through a deep and 
broad channel, called Spring Garden Creek. This channel 
is said to be in some places fully sixty feet deep, but it be- 
comes more shallow as you advance towards the entrance of 
the lake, at which you are surprised to find yourself on a 
mud flat covered only by about fifteen inches of water, under 
which the depositions from the spring lie to a depth of four 


172 SPRING GARDEN 


or five feet in the form of the softest mud, while under this 
again is a bed of fine white sand. When this mud is stirred 
up by the oars of your boat or otherwise, it appears of a 
dark green colour, and smells strongly of sulphur. At all 
times it sends up numerous bubbles of air, which probably 
consist of sulphureted hydrogen gas. 

The mouth of this curious spring is calculated to be two 
and a half feet square; and the velocity of its water, during 
the rainy season, is three feet per second. ‘This would 
render the discharge per hour about 499,500 gallons. 
Colonel Rees showed us the remains of another spring of 
the same kind, which had dried up from some natural cause. 

My companion, the Engineer, having occupation for an- 
other day, I requested Colonel Rees to accompany me in his 
boat towards the St. John’s River, which I was desirous of 
seeing, as well as the curious country in its neighbourhood. 
He readily agreed, and after an early breakfast next morn- 
ing, we set out, accompanied by two servants to manage the 
boat. As we crossed Rees’s Lake, I observed that its north- 
eastern shores were bounded by a deep swamp, covered by a 
rich growth of tall cypresses, while the opposite side pre- 
sented large marshes and islands ornamented by pines, live- 
oaks, and orange trees. With the exception of a very nar- 
row channel, the creek was covered with nymphee, and in its 
waters swam numerous alligators, while Ibises, Gallinules, 
Anhingas, Coots, and Cormorants, were seen pursuing their 
avocations on its surface or along its margins. Over our 
heads the Fish Hawks were sailing, and on the broken trees 
around we saw many of their nests. 

We followed Spring Garden Creek for about two miles 
and a half, and passed a mud bar, before we entered 
“Dexter’s Lake.” The bar was stuck full of unios in such 
profusion, that each time the negroes thrust their hands 
into the mud they took up several. According to their re- 
port, these shellfish are quite unfit for food. In this lake the 
water had changed, its hue, and assumed a dark chestnut 


SPRING GARDEN 173 


colour, although it was still transparent. The depth was 
very uniformly five feet, and the extent of the lake was about 
eighty miles by three. Having crossed it, we followed the 
creek, and soon saw the entrance of Woodruff’s Lake, which 
empties its still darker waters into the St. John’s River. 

I here shot a pair of curious Ibises, which you will find 
described in my fourth volume; and landed on a small island 
covered with wild orange trees, the luxuriance and freshness 
of which were not less pleasing to the sight, than the perfume 
of their flowers was to the smell. The group seemed to me 
like a rich bouquet formed by nature to afford consolation to 
the weary traveller, cast down by the dismal scenery of 
swamps, and pools, and rank grass, around him. Under the 
shade of these beautiful evergreens, and amidst the golden 
fruits that covered the ground, while the humming birds 
fluttered over our heads, we spread our cloth on the grass, 
and with a happy and thankful heart I refreshed myself 
with the bountiful gifts of an ever-careful Providence. 
Colonel Rees informed me that this charming retreat was 
one of the numerous terre incognite of this region of lakes, 
and that it should henceforth bear the name of ‘“Audubon’s 
Isle.” 

In conclusion, let me inform you, that the spring has been 
turned to good account by my generous host, Colonel Rees, 
who, aided by my amiable companion, the Engineer, has 
directed its current so as to turn a mill, which suffices to 
grind the whole of his sugar cane. 


ST. JOHN’S RIVER, IN FLORIDA 


Soon after landing at St. Augustine, in East Florida, I 
formed acquaintance with Dr. Simmons, Dr. Pocher, Judge 
Smith, the Misses Johnson, and other individuals, my inter- 
course with whom was as agreeable as beneficial to me. 
Lieutenant Constantine Smith, of the United States Army, 
I found of a congenial spirit, as was the case with my 
amiable, but since deceased friend, Dr. Bell, of Dublin. 
Among the planters who extended their hospitality to me, 
I must particularly mention General Hernandez, and my 
esteemed friend John Bulow, Esq. ‘To all these estimable 
individuals I offer my sincere thanks. 

While in this part of the peninsula, I followed my usual 
avocations, although with little success, it being then winter. 
I had letters from the Secretaries of the Navy and Treasury 
of the United States, to the commanding officers of vessels 
of war of the revenue service, directing them to afford me 
any assistance in their power; and the schooner Spark havy- 
ing come to St. Augustine, on her way to the St. John’s 
River, I presented my credentials to her commander, Lieu- 
tenant Piercy, who readily and with politeness, received me 
and my assistants on board. We soon after set sail, with a 
fair breeze. The strict attention to duty on board even this 
small vessel of war, afforded matter of surprise to me. 
Every thing went on with the regularity of a chronometer: 
orders were given, answered, and accomplished, before they 
ceased to vibrate on the ear. ‘The neatness of the crew 
equalled the cleanliness of the white planks of the deck; the 
sails were in perfect condition; and, built as the Spark was, 
for swift sailing, on she went gambolling from wave to wave. 


I thought that, while thus sailing, no feeling but that of 
174 


ST. JOHN’S RIVER, IN FLORIDA 175 


pleasure could exist in our breasts; but, alas! how fleeting 
are our enjoyments. When we were almost at the entrance 
of the river, the wind changed, the sky became clouded, and, 
before many minutes had elapsed, the little bark was lying to 
“like a duck,” as her commander expressed himself. It 
blew a hurricane :—let it blow, reader. At the break of day 
we were again at anchor within the bar of St. Augustine. 

Our next attempt was successful. Not many hours after 
we had crossed the bar, we perceived the star-like glimmer of 
the light in the great lantern at the entrance of the St. 
John’s River. This was before daylight; and, as the cross- 
ing of the sand-banks or bars, which occur at the mouths of 
all the streams of this peninsula is difficult, and can be ac- 
complished only when the tide is up, one of the guns was 
fired as a signal for the government pilot. The good man, 
it seemed, was unwilling to leave his couch, but a second gun 
brought him in his canoe alongside. The depth of the chan- 
nel was barely sufficient. My eyes, however, were not di- 
rected towards the waters, but on high, where flew some 
thousands of snowy Pelicans, which had fled affrighted from 
their resting grounds. How beautifully they performed 
their broad gyrations, and how matchless, after a while, was 
the marshalling of their files, as they flew past us! 

On the tide we proceeded apace. Myriads of Cormorants 
covered the face of the waters, and over it Fish-Crows in- 
numerable were already arriving from their distant roosts. 
We landed at one place to search for the birds whose charm- 
ing melodies had engaged our attention, and here and there 
some young Eagles we shot, to add to our store of fresh 
provisions! ‘The river did not seem to me equal in beauty 
to the fair Ohio; the shores were in many places low and 
swampy, to the great delight of the numberless Herons that 
moved along in gracefulness, and the grim alligators that 
swam in sluggish sullenness. In going up a bayou, we 
caught a great number of the young of the latter for the 
purpose of making experiments upon them. 


176 ST. JOHN’S RIVER, IN FLORIDA 


After sailing a considerable way, during which our com- 
mander and officers took the soundings, as well as the angles 
and bearings of every nook and crook of the sinuous stream, 
we anchored one evening at a distance of fully one hundred 
miles from the mouth of the river. ‘The weather, although 
it was the 12th of February, was quite warm, the ther- 
mometer on board standing at 75°, and on shore at 90°. 
The fog was so thick that neither of the shores could be seen, 
and yet the river was not a mile in breadth. The “blind 
musquitoes” covered every object, even in the cabin, and so 
wonderfully abundant were these tormentors, that they more 
than once fairly extinguished the candles whilst I was writ- 
ing my journal, which I closed in despair, crushing between 
the leaves more than a hundred of the little wretches. Bad 
as they are, however, these blind musquitoes do not bite. As 
if purposely to render our situation doubly uncomfortable, 
there was an establishment for jerking beef, on the nearer 
shores to the windward of our vessel, from which the breeze 
came laden with no sweet odours. 

In the morning when I arose, the country was still covy- 
ered with thick fogs, so that although I could plainly hear 
the notes of the birds on shore, not an object could I see be- 
yond the bowsprit, and the air was as close and sultry as on 
the previous evening. Guided by the scent of the jerker’s 
works, we went on shore, where we found the vegetation al- 
ready far advanced. The blossoms of the jessamine, ever 
pleasing, lay steeped in dew; the humming bee was collecting 
her winter’s store from the snowy flowers of the native 
orange; and the little warblers frisked along the twigs of 
the smilax. Now, amid the tall pines of the forest, the sun’s 
rays began to force their way, and as the dense mists dis- 
solved in the atmosphere, the bright luminary at length 
shone forth. We explored the woods around, guided by 
some friendly live-oakers who had pitched their camp in the 
vicinity. After a while the Spark again displayed her 
sails, and as she silently glided along, we spied a Seminole 


ST. JOHN’S RIVER, IN FLORIDA id 


Indian approaching us in his canoe. The poor dejected son 
of the woods, endowed with talents of the highest order, al- 
though rarely acknowledged by the proud usurpers of his 
native soil, has spent the night in fishing, and the morning 
in procuring the superb-feathered game of the swampy 
thickets; and with both he comes to offer them for our ac- 
ceptance. Alas! thou fallen one, descendant of an ancient 
line of freeborn hunters, would that I could restore to thee 
thy birthright, thy natural independence, the generous feel- 
ings that were once fostered in thy brave bosom. But the 
irrevocable deed is done, and I can merely admire the perfect 
symmetry of his frame, as he dexterously throws on our 
deck the trouts and turkeys which he has captured. He re- 
ceives a recompense, and without smile or bow, or acknowl- 
edgment of any kind, off he starts with the speed of an arrow 
from his own bow. | 

Alligators were extremely abundant, and the heads of the 
fishes which they had snapped off lay floating around on the 
dark waters. A rifle bullet was now and then sent through 
the eye of one of the largest, which, with a tremendous splash 
of its tail expired. One morning we saw a monstrous fellow 
lying on the shore. I was desirous of obtaining him to make: 
an accurate drawing of his head, and, accompanied by my 
assistant and two of the sailors, proceeded cautiously to- 
wards him. When within a few yards, one of us fired and 
sent through his side an ounce ball, which tore open a hole 
large enough to receive a man’s hand. He slowly raised his 
head, bent himself upwards, opened his huge jaws, swung his 
tail to and fro, rose on his legs, blew in a frightful manner, 
and fell to the earth. My assistant leaped on shore and, 
contrary to my injunctions, caught hold of the animal’s tail, 
when the alligator, awakening from its trance, with a last 
effort crawled slowly towards the water, and plunged heavily 
into it. Had he thought of once flourishing his tremendous 
weapon there might have been an end of his assailant’s life, 
but he fortunately went in peace to his grave, where we left 


178 ST. JOHN’S RIVER, IN FLORIDA 


him, as the water was too deep. The same morning, another 
of equal size was observed swimming directly for the bows of 
our vessel, attracted by the gentle rippling of the water 
there. One of the officers, who had watched him, fired and 
scattered his brain through the air, when he tumbled and 
rolled at a fearful rate, blowing all the while most furiously. 
The river was bloody for yards around, but although the 
monster passed close by the vessel, we could not secure him, 
and after a while he sunk to the bottom. 

Early one morning I hired a boat and two men, with the 
view of returning to St. Augustine by a short cut. Our 
baggage being placed on board, I bade adieu to the officers, 
and off we started. About four in the afternoon we ar- 
rived at the short cut, forty miles distant from our point of 
departure, and where we had expected to procure a waggon, 
but were disappointed. So we laid our things on the bank, 
and, leaving one of my assistants to look after them, I set 
out, accompanied by the other, and my Newfoundland dog. 
We had eighteen miles to go; and as the sun was only two 
hours high, we struck off at a good rate. Presently we en- 
tered a pine barren. ‘The country was as level as a floor; 
our path, although narrow, was well beaten, having been 
used by the Seminole Indians for ages, and the weather was 
calm and beautiful. Now and then a rivulet occurred, from 
which we quenched our thirst, while the magnolias and other 
flowering plants on its banks relieved the dull uniformity of 
the woods. When the path separated into two branches, 
both seemingly leading the same way, I would follow one, 
while my companion took the other, and unless we met again 
in a short time, one of us would go across the intervening 
forest. | 

The sun went down behind a cloud, and the south-east 
breeze that sprung up at this moment, sounded dolefully 
among the tall pines. Along the eastern horizon lay a bed 
of black vapour, which gradually rose, and soon covered the 
heavens. The air felt hot and oppressive, and we knew 


ST. JOHN’S RIVER, IN FLORIDA 179 


that a tempest was approaching. Plato was now our guide, 
the white spots on his skin being the only objects that we 
could discern amid the darkness, and as if aware of his util- 
ity in this respect, he kept a short way before us on the trail. 
Had we imagined ourselves more than a few miles from the 
town, we should have made a camp, and remained under its 
shelter for the night; but conceiving that the distance could 
not be great, we resolved to trudge along. 

Large drops began to fall from the murky mass overhead ; 
thick, impenetrable darkness surrounded us, and to my dis- 
may, the dog refused to proceed. Groping with my hands 
on the ground, I discovered that several trails branched out 
at the spot where he lay down; and when I had selected one, 
he went on. Vivid flashes of lightning streamed across the 
heavens, the wind increased to a gale, and the rain poured 
down upon us like a torrent. ‘The water soon rose on the 
level ground so as almost to cover our feet, and we slowly 
advanced, fronting the tempest. Here and there a tall pine 
on fire presented a magnificent spectacle, illumining the trees 
around it, and surrounded with a halo of dim light, abruptly 
bordered with the deep black of the night. At one time we 
passed through a tangled thicket of low trees, at another 
crossed a stream flushed by the heavy rain, and again pro- 
ceeded over the open barrens. 

How long we thus, half-lost, groped our way is more than 
I can tell you; but at length the tempest passed over, and 
suddenly the clear sky became spangled with stars. Soon 
after we smelt the salt-marshes, and walking directly to- 
wards them, like pointers advancing on a covey of part- 
ridges, we at last to our great joy descried the light of the 
beacon near St. Augustine. My dog began to run briskly 
around, having met with ground on which he had hunted 
before, and taking a direct course, led us to the great cause- 
way that crosses the marshes at the back of the town. We 
refreshed ourselves with the produce of the first orange tree 
that we met with, and in half an hour more arrived at our 


180 ST. JOHN’S RIVER, IN FLORIDA 


hotel. Drenched with rain, steaming with perspiration, and 
covered to the knees with mud, you may imagine what figures 
we cut in the eyes of the good people whom we found snugly 
enjoying themselves in the sitting room. Next morning, 
Major Gates, who had received me with much kindness, sent 
a waggon with mules and two trusty soldiers for my com- 
panion and luggage. 


THE FLORIDA KEYS 


As the “Marion” approached the inlet called “Indian Key,” 
which is situated on the eastern coast of the peninsula of 
Florida, my heart swelled with uncontrollable delight. Our 
vessel once over the coral reef that every where stretches 
along the shore like a great wall reared by an army of giants, 
we found ourselves in safe anchorage, within a few furlongs 
of the land. ‘The next moment saw the oars of a boat pro- 
pelling us towards the shore, and in brief time, we stood on 
the desired beach. With what delightful feelings did we 
gaze on the objects around us!—the gorgeous flowers, the 
singular and beautiful plants, the luxuriant trees. The 
balmy air which we breathed filled us with animation, so 
pure and salubrious did it seem to be. The birds which we 
saw were almost all new to us; their lovely forms appeared to 
be arrayed in more brilliant apparel than I had ever before 
seen, and as they gambolled in happy playfulness among the 
bushes, or glided over the light green waters, we longed 
to form a more intimate acquaintance with them. 

Students of nature spend little time in introduction, espe- 
cially when they present themselves to persons who feel an 
interest in their pursuits. This was the case with Mr. 
Thruston, the Deputy Collector of the island, who shook us 
all heartily by the hand, and in a trice had a boat manned 
at our service. Accompanied by him, his pilot and fisher- 
men, off we went, and after a short pull landed on a large 
key. Few minutes had elapsed, when shot after shot might 
be heard, and down came whirling through the air the ob- 
jects of our desire. One of us thrust himself into the 
tangled groves that covered all but the beautiful coral beach 


that in a continued line bordered the island, while others 
181 


182 THE FLORIDA KEYS 


gazed on the glowing and diversified hues of the curious in- 
habitants of the deep. I saw one of my party rush into the 
limpid element, to seize on a crab, that with claws extended 
upwards, awaited his approach, as if determined not to give 
way. <A loud voice called him back to the land, for sharks 
are as abundant along these shores as pebbles, and the 
hungry prowlers could not have got a more savoury dinner. 

The pilot, besides being a first-rate shooter, possessed a 
most intimate acquaintance with the country. He had been 
a “conch-diver,” and no matter what number of fathoms 
measured the distance between the surface of the water and 
its craggy bottom, to seek for curious shells in their retreat 
seemed to him more pastime than toil. Not a Cormorant or 
Pelican, a Flamingo, an Ibis, or Heron, had ever in his days 
formed its nest without his having marked the spot; and as 
to the Keys to which the Doves are wont to resort, he was 
better acquainted with them than many fops are with the 
contents of their pockets. In a word, he positively knew 
every channel that led to these islands, and every cranny 
along their shores. For years his employment had been to 
hunt those singular animals called Sea Cows or Marratees, 
and he had conquered hundreds of them, “‘merely,” as he 
said, because the flesh and hide bring “a fair price,” at 
Havannah. He never went anywhere to land without 
“Long Tom,” which proved indeed to be a wonderful gun, 
and which made smart havoc when charged with “groceries,” 
a term by which he designated the large shot which he used. 
In like manner, he never paddled his light canoe without 
having by his side the trusty javelin, with which he uner- 
ringly transfixed such fishes as he thought fit either for 
market or for his own use. In attacking turtles, netting, or 
overturning them, I doubt if his equal ever lived on the 
Florida coast. No sooner was he made acquainted with my 
errand, than he freely offered his best services, and from 
that moment until I left Key West he was seldom out of my 
hearing. 


THE FLORIDA KEYS 183 


While the young gentlemen who accompanied us were en- 
gaged in procuring plants, shells, and small birds, he tapped 
me on the shoulder, and with a smile said to me, “Come 
along, I'll shew you something better worth your while.” 
To the boat we betook ourselves, with the Captain and only 
a pair of tars, for more he said would not answer. The yawl 
for a while was urged at a great rate, but as we approached 
a point, the oars were taken in, and the pilot alone “scul- 
ling,” desired us to make ready, for in a few minutes we 
should have “rare sport.” As we advanced, the more 
slowly did we move, and the most profound silence was main- 
tained, until suddenly coming almost in contact with a thick 
shrubbery of mangroves, we beheld, right before us, a mul- 
titude of pelicans. A discharge of artillery seldom pro- 
duced more effect ;—the dead, the dying, and the wounded, 
fell from the trees upon the water, while those unscathed 
flew screaming through the air in terror and dismay. 
“There,” said he, “did not I tell you so? is it not rare sport?” 
The birds, one after another, were lodged under the gun- 
wales, when the pilot desired the captain to order the lads to 
pull away. Within about half a mile we reached the extrem- 
ity of the key. “Pull away,” cried the pilot, “never mind 
them on the wing, for those black rascals don’t mind a little 
firing—now, boys, lay her close under the nests.” And 
there we were, with four hundred cormorants’ nests over our 
heads. ‘The birds were sitting, and when we fired, the num- 
ber that dropped as if dead, and plunged into the water 
was such, that I thought by some unaccountable means or 
other we had killed the whole colony. You would have 
smiled at the loud laugh and curious gestures of the pilot. 
“Gentlemen,” said he, “almost a blank shot!’ And so it 
was, for, on following the birds as one after another peeped 
up from the water, we found only a few unable to take to 
wing. “Now,” said the pilot, “had you waited until I had 
spoken to the black villains, you might have killed a score 
or more of them.” On inspection, we found that our shots 


184 THE FLORIDA KEYS 


had lodged in the tough dry twigs of which these birds form 
their nests, and that we had lost the more favourable oppor- 
tunity of hitting them, by not waiting until they rose. 
“Never mind,” said the pilot, “if you wish it, you may load 
the Lady of the Green Mantle with them in less than a 
week. Stand still, my lads; and now, gentlemen, in ten 
minutes you and I will bring down a score of them.” And 
so we did. As we rounded the island, a beautiful bird of 
the species called Peale’s Egret, came up and was shot. We 
now landed, took in the rest of our party, and returned to 
Indian Key, where we arrived three hours before sunset. 

The sailors and other individuals to whom my name and 
pursuits had become known, carried our birds to the pilot’s 
house. His good wife had a room ready for me to draw in, 
and my assistant might have been seen busily engaged in 
skinning, while George Lehman was making a sketch of the 
lovely isle. 

Time is ever precious to the student of nature. I placed 
several birds in their natural attitudes, and began to deline- 
ate them. A dance had been prepared also, and no sooner 
was the sun lost to our eye, than males and females, includ- 
ing our captain and others from the vessel, were seen ad- 
vancing gaily towards the house in full apparel. The birds 
were skinned, the sketch was on paper, and I told my young 
men to amuse themselves. As to myself, I could not join in 
the merriment, for, full of the remembrance of you, reader, 
and of the patrons of my work both in America and in Eu- 
rope, I went on “grinding”—not on an organ, like the Lady 
of Bras d’Or, but on paper, to the finishing, not merely of 
my outlines, but of my notes respecting the objects seen this 
day. 

The room adjoining that in which I worked, was soon 
filled. ‘Two miserable fiddlers screwed their screeching 
silken strings—not an inch of catgut graced their instru- 
ments; and the bouncing of brave lads and fair lasses shook 


1The name given by the wreckers and smugglers to the Marion. 


THE FLORIDA KEYS 185 


the premises to the foundation. One with a slip came down 
heavily on the floor, and the burst of laughter that followed 
echoed over the isle. Diluted claret was handed round to 
cool the ladies, while a beverage of more potent energies 
warmed their partners. After supper our captain returned 
to the Marion, and I, with my young men, slept in light 
swinging hammocks under the eaves of the piazza. 

It was the end of April, when the nights were short and 
the days therefore long. Anxious to turn every moment 
to account, we were on board Mr. Thruston’s boat at three 
next morning. Pursuing our way through the deep and 
tortuous channels that every where traverse the immense 
muddy soap-like flats that stretch from the outward Keys 
to the Main, we proceeded on our voyage of discovery. 
Here and there we met with great beds of floating sea- 
weeds which shewed us that Turtles were abundant there, 
these masses being the refuse of their food. On talk- 
ing to Mr. Thruston of the nature of these muddy flats, 
he mentioned that he had once been lost amongst their 
narrow channels for several days and nights, when in pursuit 
of some smugglers’ boat, the owners of which were better 
acquainted with the place than the men who were along with 
him. Although in full sight of several of the Keys, as well 
as of the main land, he was unable to reach either, until a 
heavy gale raised the water, when he sailed directly over the 
flats, and returned home almost exhausted with fatigue and 
hunger. His present pilot often alluded to the circumstance 
afterwards, ending with a great laugh, and asserting that 
had he “‘been there, the rascals would not have escaped.” 

Coming under a Key on which multitudes of Frigate Peli- 
cans had begun to form their nests, we shot a good number 
of them, and observed their habits. The boastings of our 
pilot were here confirmed by the exploits which he performed 
with his long gun, and on several occasions he brought down 
a bird from a height of fully a hundred yards. The poor 
birds, unaware of the range of our artillery, sailed calmly 


186 THE FLORIDA KEYS 


along, so that it was not difficult for “Long Tom,” or rather 
for his owner, to furnish us with as many as we required. 
The day was spent in this manner, and towards night we 
returned, laden with booty, to the hospitable home of the 
pilot. 

The next morning was delightful. The gentle sea-breeze 
glided over the flowery isle, the horizon was clear, and all 
was silent save the long breakers that rushed over the dis- 
tant reefs. As we were proceeding towards some Keys, sel- 
dom visited by men, the sun rose from the bosom of the 
waters with a burst of glory that impressed on my soul the 
idea of that Power which called into existence so magnificent 
an object. ‘The moon, thin and pale, as if ashamed to show 
her feeble light, concealed herself in the dim west. The sur- 
face of the waters shone in its tremulous smoothness, and the 
deep blue of the clear heavens was pure as the world that 
lies beyond them. The Heron heavily flew towards the 
land, like the glutton retiring at day-break, with well-lined 
paunch, from the house of some wealthy patron of good 
cheer. The Night Heron and the Owl, fearful of day, with 
hurried flight sought safety in the recesses of the deepest 
swamps; while the Gulls and Terns, ever cheerful, gambolled 
over the water, exulting in the prospect of abundance. I 
also exulted in hope, my whole frame seemed to expand; and 
our sturdy crew shewed, by their merry faces, that nature 
had charms for them too. How much of beauty and joy is 
lost to them who never view the rising sun, and of whose 
wakeful existence the best half is nocturnal! 

Twenty miles our men had to row before we reached 
“Sandy Island,” and as on its level shores we all leaped, we 
plainly saw the southernmost cape of the Floridas. The 
flocks of birds that covered the shelly beaches, and those 
hovering over head, so astonished us that we could for a 
while scarcely believe our eyes. The first volley procured a 
supply of food sufficient for two days’ consumption. Such 
tales, you have already been told, are well enough at a dis- 


THE FLORIDA KEYS 187 


tance from the place to which they refer ; but you will doubt- 
less be still more surprised when I tell you that our first fire 
among the crowd of the Great Godwits laid prostrate sixty- 
five of these birds. Rose-coloured Curlews stalked grace- 
fully beneath the mangroves; Purple Herons rose at almost 
every step we took, and each cactus supported the nest of a 
White Ibis. The air was darkened by whistling wings, 
while, on the waters, floated Gallinules and other interesting 
birds. We formed a kind of shed with sticks and grass, the 
sailor cook commenced his labours, and ere long we supplied 
the deficiencies of our fatigued frames. The business of the 
day over, we secured ourselves from insects by means of 
musquito-nets, and were lulled to rest by the cackles of the 
beautiful Purple Gallinules! 

In the morning we arose from our sandy beds, Sid 





THE FLORIDA KEYS 


T yerr you abruptly, perhaps uncivilly, reader, at the dawn 
of day, on Sandy Island, which lies just six miles from the 
extreme point of South Florida. I did so because I was 
amazed at the appearance of things around me, which in fact 
looked so different then from what they seemed at night, that 
it took some minutes’ reflection to account for the change. 


When we laid ourselves down in the sand to sleep, the waters 
almost bathed our feet; when we opened our eyes in the 
morning, they were at an immense distance. Our boat lay 
on her side, looking not unlike a whale reposing on a mud- 
bank. The birds in myriads were probing their exposed 
pasture-ground. There great flocks of Ibises fed apart 
from equally large collections of Godwits, and thousands of 
Herons gracefully paced along, ever and anon thrusting 
their javelin bills into the body of some unfortunate fish con- 
fined in a small pool of water. Of Fish-Crows I could not 
estimate the number, but from the havoc they made among 
the crabs, I conjecture that these animals must have been 
scarce by the time of next ebb. Frigate Pelicans chased the 
Jager, which himself had just robbed a poor Gull of its prize, 
and all the Gallinules ran with spread wings from the mud- 
banks to the thickets of the island, so timorous had they be- 
come when they perceived us. 

Surrounded as we were by so many objects that allured us, 
not one could we yet attain, so dangerous would it have been 
to venture on the mud; and our pilot, having assured us 
that nothing could be lost by waiting, spoke of our eating, 
and on his hint told us that he would take us to a part of the 
island where “our breakfast would be abundant although 
uncooked.” Off we went, some of the sailors carrying 


baskets, others large tin pans and wooden vessels, such as 
188 


THE FLORIDA KEYS 189 


they use for eating their meals in. Entering a thicket of 
about an acre in extent, we found on every bush several nests 
of the Ibis, each containing three large and beautiful eggs, 
and all hands fell to gathering. The birds gave way to us, 
and ere long we had a heap of eggs that promised delicious 
food. Nor did we stand long in expectation, for kindling a 
fire, we soon prepared in one way or other, enough to satisfy 
the cravings of our hungry maws. Breakfast ended, the 
pilot looking at the gorgeous sunrise, said, “Gentlemen, pre- 
pare yourselves for fun, the tide is coming.” 

Over these enormous mud-flats, a foot or two of water is 
quite sufficient to drive all the birds ashore, even the tallest 
Heron or Flamingo, and the tide seems to flow at once over 
the whole expanse. Each of us provided with a gun, posted 
himself behind a bush, and no sooner had the water forced 
the winged creatures to approach the shore, than the work of 
destruction commenced. When it at length ceased, the col- 
lected mass of birds of different kinds looked not unlike a 
small haycock. Who could not with a little industry have 
helped himself to a few of their skins? Why, reader, surely 
no one as fond of these things asI am. Every one assisted 
in this, and even the sailors themselves tried their hand at 
the work. 

Our pilot, good man, told us he was no hand at such oc- 
cupations, and would go after something else. So taking 
Long Tom and his fishing-tackle, he marched off quietly 
along the shores. About an hour afterwards we saw him re- 
turning, when he looked quite exhausted, and on our in- 
quiring the cause, said, “There is a dew-fish yonder and a 
few balacoudas, but I am not able to bring them, or even to 
haul them here; please send the sailors after them.” ‘The 
fishes were accordingly brought, and as I had never seen 
a dew-fish, I examined it closely, and took an outline of its 
form, which some days hence you may perhaps see. It ex- 
ceeded a hundred pounds in weight, and afforded excellent 
eating. The balacouda is also a good fish, but at times a 


190° THE FLORIDA KEYS 


dangerous one, for, according to the pilot, on more than one 
occasion, “some of these gentry” had followed him when 
waist-deep in the water, in pursuit of a more valuable prize, 
until in self-defence he had to spear them, fearing that “‘the 
gentlemen” might at one effort cut off his legs, or some other 
nice bit, with which he was unwilling to part. 

Having filled our cask from a fine well, long since dug in 
the sand of Cape Sable, either by Seminole Indians or pi- 
rates, no matter which, we left Sandy Isle about full tide, 
and proceeded homewards, giving a call here and there at 
different keys, with the view of procuring rare birds, and 
also their nests and eggs. We had twenty miles to go “‘as 
the birds fly,” but the tortuosity of the channels rendered 
our course fully a third longer. The sun was descending 
fast, when a black cloud suddenly obscured the majestic orb. 
Our sails swelled by a breeze, that was scarcely felt by us, 
and the pilot, requesting us to sit on the weather gunwale, 
told us that we were “going to get it.” One sail was hauled 
in and secured, and the other was reefed, although the wind 
had not increased. A low murmuring noise was heard, and 
across the cloud that now rolled along in tumultuous masses, 
shot vivid flashes of lightning. Our experienced guide 
steered directly across a flat towards the nearest land. ‘The 
sailors passed their quids from one cheek to the other, and 
our pilot having covered himself with his oil-jacket, we fol- 
lowed his example: ‘‘Blow, sweet breeze,” cried he at the 
tiller, and “‘we’ll reach land before the blast overtakes us, 
for, gentlemen, it 1s a furious cloud yon.” 

A furious cloud indeed was the one which now, like an 
eagle on out-stretched wings, approached so swiftly, that one 
might have deemed it in haste to destroy us. We were not 
more than a cable’s length from the shore, when, with im- 
perative voice, the pilot calmly said to us, “Sit quite still, 
gentlemen, for I should not like to lose you overboard just 
now ; the boat can’t upset, my word for that, if you will but 
sit still—here we have it!” ) 


THE FLORIDA KEYS 191 


Reader, persons who have never witnessed a hurricane, 
such as not unfrequently desolates the sultry climates of the 
south, can scarcely form an idea of its terrific grandeur. 
One would think that, not content with laying waste all on 
land, it must needs sweep the waters of the shallows quite 
dry, to quench its thirst. No respite for an instant does it 
afford to the objects within the reach of its furious current. 
Like the scythe of the destroying angel, it cuts every thing 
by the roots, as it were with the careless ease of the experi- 
enced mower. Each of its revolving sweeps collects a heap 
that might be likened to the full sheaf which the husbandman 
flings by his side. On it goes with a wildness and fury that 
are indescribable; and when at last its frightful blasts have 
ceased, Nature, weeping and disconsolate, is left bereaved of 
her beauteous offspring. In some instances, even a full cen- 
tury is required, before, with all her powerful energies, she 
can repair her loss. The planter has not only lost his man- 
sion, his crops, and his flocks, but he has to clear his lands 
anew, covered and entangled as they are with the trunks and 
branches of trees that are every where strewn. ‘The bark 
overtaken by the storm, is cast on the lee shore, and if any 
are left to witness the fatal results, they are the “wreckers” 
alone, who, with inward delight, gaze upon the melancholy 
spectacle. 

Our light bark shivered like a leaf the instant the blast 
reached her sides. We thought she had gone over; but the 
next instant she was on the shore. And now in contempla- 
tion of the sublime and awful storm, I gazed around me. 
The waters were drifted like snow; the tough mangroves hid 
their tops amid their roots, and the loud roaring of the 
waves driven among them blended with the howl of the tem- 
pest. It was not rain that fell; the masses of water flew in 
a horizontal direction, and where a part of my body was 
exposed, I felt as if a smart blow had been given me on it. 
But enough!—in half an hour it was over. ‘The pure blue 
sky once more embellished the heavens, and although it 


192 THE FLORIDA KEYS 


was now quite night, we considered our situation a good one. 

The crew and some of the party spent the night in the 
boat. The pilot, myself, and one of my assistants took to 
the heart of the mangroves, and having found high land, we 
made a fire as well as we could, spread a tarpawling, and fix- 
ing our insect-bars over us, soon forgot in sleep the horrors 
that had surrounded us. 

Next day, the Marion proceeded on her cruize, and in a 
few more days, having anchored in another safe harbour, we 
visited other Keys, of which I will, with your leave, give you 
a short account. 

The Deputy-Collector of Indian Isle gave me the use of 
his pilot for a few weeks, and I was the more gratified by 
this, that besides knowing him to be a good man and a per- 
fect sailor, I was now convinced that he possessed a great 
knowledge of the habits of birds, and could without loss of 
time lead me to their haunts. We were a hundred miles or 
so farther to the south. Gay May, like a playful babe, 
gambolled on the bosom of her mother nature, and every 
thing was replete with life and joy. The pilot had spoken 
to me of some birds, which I was very desirous of obtaining. 
One morning, therefore, we went in two boats to some distant 
isle, where they were said to breed. Our difficulties in reach- 
ing that Key might to some seem more imaginary than real, 
were I faithfully to describe them. Suffice it for me to tell 
you that after hauling our boats and pushing them with our 
hands, for upwards of nine miles, over the flats, we at last 
reached the deep channel that usually surrounds each of the 
mangrove islands. We were much exhausted by the labour 
and excessive heat, but we were now floating on deep water, 
and by resting a short while under the shade of some man- 
groves, we were soon refreshed by the breeze that gently 
blew from the Gulf. We further repaired our strength by 
taking some food; and I may as well tell you here, that dur- 
ing all the time I spent in that portion of the Floridas, my 
party restricted themselves to fish and soaked biscuit, while 


THE FLORIDA KEYS 193 


our only and constant beverage was water and molasses. I 
found that in these warm latitudes, exposed as we constantly 
were to alternate heat and moisture, ardent spirits and more 
substantial food would prove dangerous to us. The officers, 
and those persons who from time to time kindly accompanied 
us, adopted the same regimen, and not an individual of us 
had ever to complain of so much as a headache. 

But we were under the mangroves—at a great distance on 
one of the flats, the Heron which I have named Ardea occi- 
dentalis was seen moving majestically in great numbers. 
The tide rose and drove them away, and as they came to- 
wards us, to alight and rest for a time on the tallest trees, 
we shot as many as I wished. I also took under my charge 
several of their young alive. 7 

At another time we visited the “Mule Keys.” There the 
prospect was in many respects dismal in the extreme. As 
I followed their shores, I saw bales of cotton floating in all 
the coves, while spars of every description lay on the beach, 
and far off on the reefs I could see the last remains of a 
lost ship, her dismantled hulk. Several schooners were 
around her; they were wreckers. I turned me from the 
sight with a heavy heart. Indeed, as I slowly proceeded, I 
dreaded to meet the floating or cast-ashore bodies of some 
of the unfortunate crew. Our visit to the Mule Keys was 
in no way profitable, for besides meeting with but few birds 
in two or three instances, I was, whilst swimming in the deep 
channel of a mangrove isle, much nearer a large shark than 
I wish ever to be again. 

“The service” requiring all the attention, prudence and 
activity of Captain Day and his gallant officers, another 
cruise took place, of which you will find some account in the 
sequel; and while I rest a little on the deck of the Lady of 
the Green Mantle, let me offer my humble thanks to the 
Being. who has allowed me the pleasure of thus relating to 
you, kind reader, a small part of my adventures, 


THE TURTLERS 


am 

Tue Tortugas are a group of islands lying about eighty 
miles from Key West, and the last of the islands that seem 
to defend the peninsula of the Floridas. ‘They consist of 
five or six extremely low uninhabitable banks formed of 
shelly sand, and are resorted to principally by that class 
of men called Wreckers and Turtlers. Between these is- 
lands are deep channels, which, although extremely intricate, 
are well known to those adventurers, as well as to the com- 
manders of the revenue cutters, whose duties call them to 
that dangerous coast. The great coral reef or wall lies 
about eight miles from these inhospitable isles, in the direc- 
tion of the Gulf, and on it many an ignorant or careless 
navigator has suffered shipwreck. ‘The whole ground 
around them is densely covered with corals, sea-fans, and 
other productions of the deep, amid which crawl inumer- 
able testaceous animals, while shoals of curious and beauti- 
ful fishes fill the limpid waters above them. ‘Turtles of 
different species resort to these banks, to deposit their eggs 
in the burning sand, and clouds of sea-fowl arrive every 
spring for the same purpose. 'These.are followed by persons 
called “Eggers,” who, when their cargoes are completed, 
sail to distant markets, to exchange their ill-gotten ware for 
a portion of that gold, on the acquisition of which all men 
seem bent. 

The “Marion” having occasion to visit the Tortugas, I 
gladly embraced the opportunity of seeing those celebrated 
islets. A few hours before sunset the joyful cry of “land” 
announced our approach to them, but as the breeze was 
fresh, and the pilot was well acquainted with all the wind- 


ings of the channels, we held on, and dropped anchor before 
194 


THE TURTLERS 195 


twilight. If you have never seen the sun setting in those 
latitudes, I would recommend to you to make a voyage for 
the purpose, for I much doubt, if, in any other portion of 
the world, the departure of the orb of day is accompanied 
with such gorgeous appearances. Look at the great red 
disk, increased to triple its ordinary dimensions! Now it 
has partially sunk beneath the distant line of waters, and 
with its still remaining half, irradiates the whole heavens 
with a flood of golden light, purpling the far off clouds that 
hover over the western horizon. A blaze of refulgent glory 
streams through the portals of the west, and the masses 
of vapour assume the semblance of mountains of molten gold. 
But the sun has now disappeared, and from the east slowly 
advances the gray curtain which night draws over the world. 

The Night-hawk is flapping its noiseless wings in the 
gentle sea-breeze; the Terns, safely landed, have settled on 
their nests; the Frigate Pelicans are seen wending their way 
to distant mangroves; and the Brown Gannet, in search of a 
resting-place, has perched on the yard of the vessel. Slowly 
advancing landward, their heads alone above the water, are 
observed the heavily-laden Turtles, anxious to deposit their 
eggs in the well-known sands. On the surface of the gently 
rippling stream, I dimly see their broad forms, as they toil 
along, while at intervals may be heard their hurried breath- 
ings, indicative of suspicion and fear. The moon with her 
silvery light now illumes the scene, and the Turtle having 
landed, slowly and laboriously drags her heavy body over 
the sand, her “flappers” being better adapted for motion 
in the water than on shore. Up the slope, however, she 
works her way, and see how industrious!y she removes the 
sand beneath her, casting it out on either side. Layer after 
layer she deposits her eggs, arranging them in the most 
careful manner,.and, with her hind-paddles, brings the sand 
over them. ‘The business is accomplished, the spot is covered 
over, and, with a joyful heart, the Turtle swiftly retires to- 
ward the shore, and launches into the deep. 


196 THE TURTLERS 


But the Tortugas are not the only breeding-places of the 
Turtles ; these animals, on the contrary, frequent many other 
keys, as well as various parts of the coast of the mainland. 
There are four different species, which are known by the 
names of Green Turtle, the Hawk-billed Turtle, the Logger- 
head Turtle, and the Trunk Turtle. The first is consid- 
ered the best as an article of food, in which capacity it is well 
known to most epicures. It approaches the shores, and en- 
ters the bays, inlets and rivers, early in the Month of April, 
after having spent the winter in the deep waters. It depos- 
its its eggs in convenient places, at two different times in 
May, and once again in June. The first deposit is the larg- 
est, and the last the least, the total quantity being at an ay- 
erage of about two hundred and forty. The Hawk-billed 
Turtle, whose shell is so valuable as an article of commerce, 
being used for various purposes in the arts, is the next with 
respect to the quality of its flesh. It resorts to the outer 
keys only, where it deposits its eggs in two sets, first in July, 
and again in August, although it crawls over the beaches 
of these keys much earlier in the season, as if to look for a 
safe place. The average number of its eggs is about three 
hundred. 'The Loggerhead visits the Tortugas in April, 
and lays, from that period until late in June, three sets of 
eggs, each set averaging a hundred and seventy. ‘The 
Trunk Turtle, which is sometimes of an enormous size, and 
which has a pouch like a pelican, reaches the shores latest. 
The shell and flesh are so soft that one may push his finger 
into them, almost as into a lump of butter. This species is 
therefore considered as the least valuable, and indeed is sel- 
dom eaten, unless by the Indians, who, ever alert when the 
turtle season commences, first carry off the eggs, and after- 
wards catch the Turtles themselves. The average number 
of eggs which it lays in the season, in two sets, may be three 
hundred and fifty. 

The Loggerhead and the Trunk Turtles are the least cau- 
tious in choosing the places in which to deposit their eggs, 


THE TURTLERS 197 


whereas the two other species select the wildest and most se- 
cluded spots. ‘The Green Turtle resorts either to the shores 
of the main, between Cape Sable and Cape Florida, or enters 
Indian, Halifax, and other large rivers or inlets, from which 
it makes its retreat as speedily as possible, and betakes itself 
to the open sea. Great numbers, however, are killed by the 
Turtlers and Indians, as well as by various species of car- 
nivorous animals, as cougars, lynxes, bears and wolves. ‘The 
Hawk-bill, which is still more wary, and is always the most 
difficult to surprise, keeps to the sea-islands. All the species 
employ nearly the same method in depositing their eggs in 
the sand, and as I have several times observed them in the 
act, I am enabled to present you with the circumstantial ac- 
count of it. 

On first approaching the shores, and mostly on fine calm 
moonlight nights, the Turtle raises her head above the water, 
being still distant thirty or forty yards from the beach, looks 
around her, and attentively examines the objects on the 
shore. Should she observe nothing likely to disturb her in- 
tended operations, she emits a loud hissing sound, by which 
such of her many enemies as are accustomed to it, are start- 
led, and so are apt to remove to another place, although un- 
seen by her. Should she hear any noise, or perceive indica- 
tions of danger, she instantly sinks and goes off to a con- 
siderable distance; but should every thing be quiet, she ad- 
vances slowly towards the beach, crawls over it, her head 
raised to the full stretch of her neck, and when she has 
reached a place fitted for her purpose, she gazes all round in 
silence. Finding “all well,” she proceeds to form a hole in 
the sand, which she effects by removing it from under her 
body with her hind flappers, scooping it out with so much 
dexterity that the sides seldom if ever fall in. The sand is 
raised alternately with each flapper, as with a large ladle, 
until it has accumulated behind her, when supporting her- 
self with her head and fore part on the ground fronting her 
body, she with a spring from each flapper, sends the sand 


198 THE TURTLERS 


around her, scattering it to the distance of several feet. In 
this manner the hole is dug to the depth of eighteen inches 
or sometimes more than two feet. This labour I have seen 
performed in the short period of nine minutes. ‘The eggs 
are then dropped one by one, and disposed in regular layers, 
to the number of a hundred and fifty, or sometimes nearly 
two hundred. ‘The whole time spent in this part of the op- 
eration may be about twenty minutes. She now scrapes the 
loose sand back over the eggs, and so levels and smooths the 
surface, that few persons on seeing the spot could imagine 
any thing had been done to it. This accomplished to her 
mind, she retreats to the water with all possible dispatch, 
leaving the hatching of the eggs to the heat of the sand. 
When a turtle, a loggerhead for example, is in the act of 
dropping her eggs, she will not move, although one should go 
up to her, or even seat himself on her back, for it seems that 
at this moment she finds it necessary to proceed at all events, 
and is unable to intermit her labour. The moment it is fin- 
ished however, off she starts; nor would it then be possible 
for one, unless he were as strong as a Hercules, to turn her 
over and secure her. 

To upset a turtle on the shore, one is obliged to fall on his 
knees, and, placing his shoulders behind her forearm, grad- 
ually raise her up by pushing with great force, and then with 
a jerk throw her over. Sometimes it requires the united 
strength of several men to accomplish this; and, if the turtle 
should be of very great size, as often happens on that coast, 
even hand-spikes are employed. Some turtlers are so dar- 
ing as to swim up to them while lying asleep on the surface 
of the water, and turn them over in their own element, when, 
however, a boat must be at hand to enable them to secure 
their prize. Few turtles can bite beyond the reach of their 
fore legs, and few, when once turned over, can, without as- 
sistance, regain their natural position; but, notwithstanding 
this, their flappers are generally secured by ropes so as to 
render their escape impossible. 


THE TURTLERS 199 


Persons who search for turtles’ eggs, are provided with a 
light stiff cane or a gun rod, with which they go along the 
shores, probing the sand near the tracks of the animals, 
which, however, cannot always be seen, on account of the 
winds and heavy rains, that often obliterate them. The 
nests are discovered not only by men, but also by beasts of 
prey, and the eggs are collected, or destroyed on the spot 
in great numbers, as on certain parts of the shores hundreds 
of turtles are known to deposit their eggs within the space 
of a mile. They form a new hole each time they lay, and 
the second is generally dug near the first, as if the animal 
were quite uhconscious of what had befallen it. It will 
readily be understood that the numerous eggs seen in a 
turtle, on cutting it up, could not be all laid the same sea- 
son. ‘The whole number deposited by an individual in one 
summer may amount to four hundred, whereas if the animal 
is caught on or near her nest, as I have witnessed, the re- 
maining eggs, all small, without shells, and as it were 
threaded like so many large beads, exceed three thousand. 
In an instance where I found that number, the turtle 
weighed nearly four hundred pounds. The young, soon 
after being hatched, and when yet scarcely larger than a 
dollar, scratch their way through their sandy covering, and 
immediately betake themselves to the water. 

The food of the Green Turtle consists chiefly of marine 
plants, more especially the Grasswrack (Zostera marina,) 
which they cut near the roots to procure the most tender and 
succulent parts. Their feeding-grounds, as I have else- 
where said, are easily discovered by floating masses of these 
plants on the flats, or along the shores to which they resort. 
The Hawk-billed species feeds on sea-weeds, crabs, and vari- 
ous kinds of shell-fish, and fishes; the Loggerhead mostly on 
the flesh of conch-shells of large size, which they are en- 
abled, by means of their powerful beak, to crush to pieces 
with apparently as much ease as a man cracks a walnut. 
One, which was brought on board the Marion, and placed 


200 THE TURTLERS 


near the flook of one of her anchors, made a deep indenta- 
tion in that hammered piece of iron that quite surprised me. 
The Trunk Turtle feeds on mollusce, fish, crustacea, sea 
urchins, and various marine plants. 

All the species move through the water with surprising 
speed; but the Green and Hawk-billed in particular, remind 
you, by their celerity and the ease of their motions, of the 
progress of a bird in the air. It is therefore no easy matter 
to strike one with a spear, and yet this is often done by an 
accomplished turtler. 

While at Key West, and other islands on the coast, where 
I made the observation here presented to you, I chanced to 
have need to purchase some turtles, to feed my friends on 
board the Lady of the Green Mantle—not my friends her 
gallant officers, or the brave tars who formed her crew, for all 
of them had already been satiated with turtle soup, but my 
friends the Herons, of which I had a goodly number alive 
un coops, intending to carry them to John Bachman, of 
Charleston, and other persons for whom I ever feel a sincere 
regard. SoI went to a “crawl,” accompanied by Dr. Ben- 
jamin Strobel, to inquire about prices, when, to my surprise, 
I found that the smaller the turtles, above ten pounds 
weight, the dearer they were, and that I could have pur- 
chased one of the loggerhead kind that weighed more than 
seven hundred pounds, for little more money than another 
of only thirty pounds. While I gazed on the large one, I 
thought of the soups the contents of its shell would have 
furnished for a “Lord Mayor’s dinner,” of the numerous 
eggs which its swollen body contained, and of the curious 
carriage which might be made of its shell,—a car in which 
Venus herself might sail over the Caribbean sea, provided 
her tender doves lent their aid in drawing the divinity, and 
provided no shark or hurricane came to upset it. The 
turtler assured me that although the “great monster” was 
in fact better meat than any other of a less size, there was 
no disposal of it, unless indeed it had been in his power to 


THE TURTLERS 201 


have it sent to some very distant market. I would willingly 
have purchased it, but I knew that if killed, its flesh could 
not keep much longer than a day, and on that account I 
bought eight or ten small ones, which “my friends” really 
relished exceedingly, and which served to support them for 
a long time. 

Turtles, such as I have spoken of, are caught in various 
ways on the coasts of the Floridas, or in estuaries and rivers. 
Some turtlers are in the habit of setting great nets across the 
entrance of streams, so as to answer the purpose either at 
the flow or at the ebb of the waters. These nets are formed 
of very large meshes, into which the turtles partially enter, 
when, the more they attempt to extricate themselves, the 
more they get entangled. Others “harpoon” them in the 
usual manner; but in my estimation no method is equal to 
that employed by Mr. Egan, the Pilot of Indian Isle. 

The extraordinary turtler had an iron instrument, which 
he called a peg, and which at each end had a point not unlike 
what nail-makers call a brad, it being four-cornered but 
flattish, and of a shape somewhat resembling the beak of an 
Ivory-billed Woodpecker, together with a neck and shoulder. 
Between the two shoulders of this instrument a fine tough 
line, fifty or more fathoms in length, was fastened by one 
end being passed through a hole in the centre of the peg, and 
the line itself was carefully coiled and placed in a convenient 
part of the canoe. One extremity of this peg enters a 
sheath of iron that loosely attaches it to a long wooden spear, 
until a turtle has been pierced through the shell by the other 
extremity. He of the canoe paddles away as silently as 
possible whenever he spies a turtle basking on the water, 
until he gets within a distance of ten or twelve yards, when 
he throws the spear so as to hit the animal about the place 
which an entomologist would choose, were it a large insect, 
for pinning it to a piece of cork. As soon as the turtle is 
struck, the wooden handle separates from the peg, in conse- 
quence of the looseness of its attachment. ‘The smart of the 


202 THE TURTLERS 


wound urges on the animal as if distracted, and it appears 
that the longer the peg remains in its shell, the more firmly 
fastened it is, so great a pressure is exercised upon it by the 
shell of the turtle which being suffered to run like a whale, 
soon becomes fatigued, and is secured by hauling in the line 
with great care. In this manner, as the Pilot informed me, 
eight hundred Green Turtles were caught by one man in 
twelve months. 

Fach turtler has his crawl, which is a square wooden 
building or pen, formed of logs, which are so far separated 
as to allow the tide to pass freely through, and stand erect 
in the mud. The turtles are placed in this inclosure, fed 
and kept there until sold. If the animals thus confined 
have not laid their eggs previous to their seizure, they drop 
them in the water, so that they are lost. ‘The price of Green 
Turtles, when I was at Key West, was from four to six 
cents per pound. 

The loves of the turtles are conducted in a most extraordi- 
nary manner; but as the recital of them must prove out of 
place here, I shall pass them over. There is, however, a cir- 
cumstance relating to their habits, which I cannot omit, al- 
though I have it not from my own ocular evidence but from 
report. When I was in the Floridas, several of the turtlers 
assured me, that any turtle taken from the depositing 
ground, and carried on the deck of a vessel several hundred 
miles, would, if then let loose, certainly be met with at the 
same spot either immediately after, or in the following breed- 
ing season. Should this prove true, and it certainly may, 
how much will be enhanced the belief of the student in the 
uniformity and solidity of Nature’s arrangements, when he 
finds that the turtle, like a migratory bird, returns to the 
same locality, with, perhaps, a delight similar to that ex- 
perienced by the traveller, who, after visiting distant coun- 
tries once more returns to the bosom of his cherished family! 


THE BURNING OF THE FORESTS 


Wir what pleasure have I seated myself by the blazing 
fire of some lonely cabin, when, faint with fatigue, and chilled 
with the piercing blast, I had forced my way to it through 
the drifted snows that covered the face of the country as 
with a mantle! The affectionate mother is hushing her 
dear babe to repose, while a group of sturdy children sur- 
round their father, who has just returned from the chase, 
and deposited on the rough flooring of his hut the varied 
game which he has procured. The great back-log, that 
with some difficulty has been rolled into the ample chimney, 
urged, as it were, by lighted pieces of pine, sends forth a 
blaze of light over the happy family. The dogs of the 
hunter are already licking away the trickling waters of the 
thawing icicles that sparkle over their shaggy coats, and the 
comfort-loving cat is busied in passing her furry paws over 
each ear, or with her rough tongue smoothing her glossy 
coat. 

How delightful to me has it been, when kindly received 
and hospitably treated under such a roof, by persons whose 
means were as scanty as their generosity was great, I have 
entered into conversation with them respecting subjects of 
interest to me, and received gratifying information. When 
the humble but plentiful repast was ended, the mother would 
take from the shelf the Book of books, and mildly request the 
attention of her family while the father read aloud a chap- 
ter. ‘Then to heaven would ascend their humble prayers, 
and a good-night would be bidden to all friends far and near. 
How comfortably have I laid my wearied frame on the buf- 
falo hide, and covered me with the furry skin of some huge 


bear! How pleasing have been my dreams of home and 
203 


204 THE BURNING OF THE FORESTS 


happiness, as I there lay secure from danger, and sheltered 
from the inclemency of the weather. 

I recollect that once while in the State of Maine, I passed 
such a night as I have described. Next morning the face 
of nature was obscured by the heavy rains that fell in tor- 
rents, and my generous host begged me to remain in such 
pressing terms, that I was well content to accept his offer. 
Breakfast over, the business of the day commenced: the spin- 
ning wheels went round, and the boys employed themselves, 
one in searching for knowledge, another in attempting to 
solve some ticklish arithmetical problem. In a corner lay 
the dogs dreaming of plunder, while close to the ashes stood 
grimalkin seriously purring in concert with the wheels. 
The hunter and I seated ourselves each on a stool, while the 
matron looked after her domestic arrangements. 

“Puss,” quoth the Dame, “get away; you told me last 
night of this day’s rain, and I fear you may now give us 
worse news with trickish paws.” Puss accordingly went off, 
leaped on a bed, and rolling herself in a ball, composed her- 
self for a comfortable nap. I asked the husband what his 
wife meant by what she had just said. ‘The good woman,” 
said he, “has some curious notions at times, and she believes, 
I think, in the ways of animals of all kinds. Now, her talk 
to the cat refers to the fires of the woods around us and al- 
though they have happened long ago, she fears them quite 
as much as ever, and indeed she and I, and all of us, have 
good reason to dread them, as they have brought us many 
calamities.” Having read of the great fires to which my 
host alluded, and frequently observed with sorrow the 
mournful state of the forests, I felt anxious to know some- 
thing of the causes by which these direful effects had been 
produced. I therefore requested him to give me an account 
of the events resulting from those fires which he had wit- 
nessed. Willingly he at once went on, nearly as follows :— 

“About twenty-five years ago, the larch or hackmitack 
trees were nearly all killed by insects. ‘This took place in 


THE BURNING OF THE FORESTS 205 


what hereabouts is called the ‘black soft-growth-land,’ that is 
the spruce, pine, and all other firs. The destruction of the 
trees was effected by the insect cutting the leaves, and you 
must know, that although other trees are not killed by the 
loss of their leaves, the evergreens always are. Some few 
years after this destruction of the larch, the same insects 
attacked the spruces, pines and other firs, in such a manner, 
that before half a dozen years were over, they began to fall, 
and, tumbling in all directions, they covered the whole coun- 
try with matted masses. You may suppose that, when par- 
tially dried or seasoned, they would prove capital fuel, as 
well as supplies for the devouring flames which accidentally, 
or perhaps by intention, afterwards raged over the country, 
and continued burning at intervals for years, in many 
places stopping all communication by the roads, the resin- 
ous nature of the firs being of course best fitted to ensure and 
keep up the burning of the deep beds of dry leaves or of the 
other trees.”—Here I begged him to give me some idea of the 
form of the insects which had caused such havoc. 

“The insects,” said he, “were, in their caterpillar form, 
about three quarters of an inch in length, and as green as 
the leaves of the trees they fed on, when they committed 
their ravages. I must tell you also, that in most of the 
places over which the fire passed, a new growth of wood has 
already sprung up, of what we lumberers call hard wood, 
which consists of all other sorts but pine or fir; and I have 
always remarked that wherever the first natural growth of 
a forest is destroyed, either by the axe, the hurricane, or the 
fire, there springs up spontaneously another of quite a dif- 
ferent kind.” I again stopped my host to inquire if he 
knew the method or nature of the first kindling of the fires. 

“Why, Sir,” said he, “there are different opinions about 
this. Many believe that the Indians did it, either to be the 
better able to kill the game, or to punish their enemies the 
Pale-faces. My opinion, however, is different; and I de- 
rive it from my experience in the woods as a lumberer. I 


206 THE BURNING OF THE FORESTS 


have always thought that the fires began by the accidental 
fall of a dry trunk against another, when their rubbing 
together, especially as many of them are covered with resin, 
would produce fire. The dry leaves on the ground are at 
once kindled, next the twigs and branches, when nothing but 
the intervention of the Almighty could stop the progress of 
the fire. 

“In some instances, owing to the wind, the destructive 
element approached the dwellings of the inhabitants of the 
wocds so rapidly that it was difficult for them to escape. In 
some parts, indeed, hundreds of families were obliged to flee 
from their homes, leaving all they had behind them, and here 
and there some of the affrighted fugitives were burnt alive.” 

At this moment a rush of wind came down the chimney, 
blowing the blaze of the fire towards the room. ‘The wife 
and daughter, imagining for a moment that the woods were 
again on fire, made for the door, but the husband, explain- 
ing the cause of their terror, they resumed their work. 

“Poor things,” said the lumberer, “I dare say that what 
I have told you brings sad recollections to the minds of my 
wife and eldest daughter, who, with myself, had to fly from 
our home, at the time of the great fires.” _ I felt so interested 
in his relation of the causes of the burnings, that I asked him 
to describe to me the particulars of his misfortunes at the 
time. “If Prudence and Polly,” said he, looking towards his 
wife and daughter, “will promise to sit still, should another 
puff of smoke come down the chimney, I will do so.” 
The good natured smile with which he accompanied this re- 
mark, elicited a return from the women, and he proceeded :— 

“It is a difficult thing, Sir, to describe, but I will do my 
best to make your time pass pleasantly. We were sound 
asleep one night, in a cabin about a hundred miles from this, 
when about two hours before day, the snorting of the horses 
and lowing of the cattle which I had ranging in the woods 
suddenly wakened us. I took yon rifle, and went to the door 
to see what beast had caused the hubbub, when I was struck 


THE BURNING OF THE FORESTS 207 


by the glare of light reflected on all the trees before me, as 
far as I could see through the woods. My horses were leap- 
ing about, snorting loudly, and the cattle ran among them 
with their tails raised straight over their backs. On going 
to the back of the house, I plainly heard the crackling made 
by the burning brushwoods, and saw the flames coming to- 
wards us in a far extended line. I ran to the house, told 
my wife to dress herself and the child as quickly as possible, 
and take the little money we had, while I managed to catch 
and saddle the two best horses. All this was done in a very 
short time, for I guessed that every moment was precious 
to us. 

**We then mounted, and made off from the fire. My wife, 
who is an excellent rider, stuck close to me; my daughter, 
_ who was then a small child, I took in one arm. When mak- 
ing off as I said, I looked back and saw that the frightful 
blaze was close upon us, and had already laid hold of the 
house. By good luck, there was a horn attached to my 
hunting clothes, and I blew it, to bring after us, if possible, 
the remainder of my live stock, as well as the dogs. The 
cattle followed for a while; but, before an hour had elapsed, 
they all ran as if mad through the woods, and that, Sir, was 
the last of them. My dogs, too, although at all other times 
extremely tractable, ran after the deer that in bodies sprung 
before us, as if fully aware of the death that was so rapidly 
approaching. 

“We heard blasts from the horns of our neighbours, as 
we proceeded, and knew that they were in the same predica- 
ment. Intent on striving to the utmost to preserve our lives, 
I thought of a large lake, some miles off, which might pos- 
sibly check the flames; and, urging my wife to whip up her 
horse, we set off at full speed, making the best way we could 
over the fallen trees and the brush heaps, which lay like so 
many articles placed on purpose to keep up the terrific fires 
that advanced with a broad front upon us. 

By this time we could feel the heat; and we were afraid 


208 THE BURNING OF THE FORESTS 


that our horses would drop every instant. A singular kind 
of breeze was passing over our heads, and the glare of the 
atmosphere shone over the daylight. I was sensible of a 
slight faintness, and my wife looked pale. The heat had 
produced such a flush in the child’s face, that when she 
turned towards either of us, our grief and perplexity were 
greatly increased. ‘Ten miles, you know, are soon gone 
over on swift horses; but, notwithstanding this, when we 
reached the borders of the lake, covered with sweat and quite 
exhausted, our hearts failed us. The heat of the smoke was 
insufferable, and sheets of blazing fire flew over us in a man- 
ner beyond belief. We reached the shores, however, coasted 
the lake for a while, and got round to the lee side. ‘There we 
gave up our horses, which we never saw again. Down 
among the rushes we plunged by the edge of the water, and 
laid ourselves flat, to wait the chance of escaping from being 
burnt or devoured. The water refreshed us, and we enjoyed 
the coolness. 

“On went the fire, rushing and crashing through the 
woods. Such a sight may we never see! ‘The heavens 
themselves, I thought, were frightened, for all above us was a 
red glare, mixed with clouds of smoke, rolling and sweeping 
away. Our bodies were cool enough, but our heads were 
scorching, and the child, who now seemed to understand the 
matter, cried so as nearly to break our hearts. 

“The day passed on, and we became hungry. Many wild 
beasts came plunging into the water beside us, and others 
swam across to our side and stood still. Although faint and 
weary, I managed to shoot a porcupine, and we all tasted its 
flesh. The night passed I cannot tell you how. Smoulder- 
ing fires covered the ground, and the trees stood like pillars 
of fire, or fell across each other. The stifling and sickening 
smoke still rushed over us, and the burnt cinders and ashes 
fell thick about us. How we got through that night I really 
cannot tell, or about some of it I remember nothing.” Here 
the hunter paused, and took breath. The recital of his ad- 


THE BURNING OF THE FORESTS 209 


venture seemed to have exhausted him. His wife proposed 
that we should have a bow! of milk, and the daughter having 
handed it to us, we each took a draught. 

“Now,” said he, “I will proceed. Towards morning, al- 
though the heat did not abate, the smoke became less, and 
blasts of fresh air sometimes made their way to us. When 
morning came, all was calm, but a dismal smoke still filled 
the air, and the smell seemed worse than ever. We were now 
cooled enough, and shivered as if in an ague fit; so we re- 
moved from the water, and went up to a burning log, where 
we warmed ourselves. What was to become of us I did not 
know. My wife hugged the child to her breast, and wept 
bitterly ; but God had preserved us through the worst of the 
danger, and the flames had gone past, so I thought it would 
be both ungrateful to Him, and unmanly to despair now. 
Hunger once more pressed upon us, but this was easily rem- 
edied. Several deer were still standing in the water, up to 
the head, and I shot one of them. Some of its flesh was soon 
roasted, and, after eating it, we felt wonderfully strength- 
ened. 

“By this time the blaze of the fire was beyond our sight, 
although the ground was still burning in many places, and 
it was dangerous to go among the burnt trees. After rest- 
ing a while, and trimming ourselves, we prepared to com- 
mence our march. ‘Taking up the child, I led the way over 
the hot grounds and rocks; and, after two weary days and 
nights, during which we shifted in the best manner we could, 
we at last reached the ‘hard woods,’ which had been free of 
the fire. Soon after we came to a house, where we were 
kindly treated for a while. Since then, sir, I have worked 
hard and constantly as a lumberer; but, thanks be to God, 
here we are, safe, sound, and happy!” 


A MOOSE HUNT 


In the spring of 1833, the Moose were remarkably abundant 
in the neighbourhood of the Schoodiac Lakes; and, as 
the snow was so deep in the woods as to render it almost 
impossible for them to escape, many of them were caught. 
About the first of March, 1833, three of us set off on a hunt, 
provided with snow-shoes, guns, hatchets, and provisions 
for a fortnight. On the first day we proceeded fifty miles, in 
a sledge drawn by one horse, to the nearest lake, where we 
stopped for the night, in the hut of an Indian named Lewis, 
of the Passamaquody tribe, and who has abandoned the wan- 
dering life of his race, and turned his attention to farming 
and lumbering. Here we saw the operation of making 
snow-shoes, which requires more skill than one might im- 
agine. ‘The men generally make the bows to suit themselves, 
and the women weave in the threads, which are usually made 
of the skin of the Karaboo deer. 

The next day we went on foot sixty-two miles farther, 
when a heavy rain-storm coming on, we were detained a 
whole day. ‘The next morning we put on snow-shoes, and 
proceeded about thirteen miles, to the head of the Musquash 
Lake, where we found a camp, which had been erected by 
some lumberers in the winter, and here we established our 
head-quarters. In the afternoon an Indian had driven a 
female moose-deer, and two young ones of the preceding 
year, within a quarter of a mile of our camp, when he was 
obliged to shoot the old one. We undertook to procure the 
young alive, and after much exertion succeeded in getting 
one of them, and shut it up in the shed made for the oxen; 
but as the night was falling, we were compelled to leave 
the other in the woods. ‘The dogs having killed two fine deer 


that day, we feasted upon some of their flesh, and upon 
210 


A MOOSE HUNT 211 


Moose, which certainly seemed to us the most savoury meat 
we had ever eaten, although a keen appetite is very apt to 
warp one’s Judgment in such a case. After supper we laid 
ourselves down before the huge fire we had built up, and were 
soon satisfied that we had at last discovered the most com- 
fortable mode of sleeping. 

In the morning we started off on the track of a Moose, 
which had been driven from its haunt or yard by the Indians 
the day before; and, although the snow was in general five 
feet deep, and in some places much deeper, we travelled three 
miles before we came to the spot where the Moose had rested 
for the night. He had not left this place more than an hour, 
when we came to it. So we pushed on faster than before, 
trusting that ere long we should overtake him. We had 
proceeded about a mile and a half farther, when he took a 
sudden turn, which threw us off his track, and when we again 
found it, we saw that an Indian had taken it up and gone 
in pursuit of the harassed animal. Ina short time we heard 
the report of a gun, and immediately running up, we saw the 
Moose standing in a thicket wounded, when we brought him 
down. The animal finding himself too closely pursued, had 
turned upon the Indian, who fired and instantly ran into the 
bushes to conceal himself. It was three years old, and con- 
sequently not nearly grown, although already about six feet 
and a half in height. 

It is difficult to conceive how an animal could have gone 
at such a rate, when the snow was so deep, with a thick crust 
at top. In one place he had followed the course of a brook, 
over which the snow had sunk considerably, on account of 
the higher temperature of the water, and we had an oppor- 
tunity of seeing evidence of the great power which the species 
possesses in leaping over objects that obstruct his way. 
There were places in which the snow had drifted to so great 
a height, that you would have imagined it impossible for any 
animal to leap over it, and yet we found that he had done 
so at a single bound, without leaving the least trace. As I 


212 A MOOSE HUNT 


did not measure these snow-heaps, I cannot positively say 
how high they were, but I am well persuaded that some of 
them were ten feet. 

We proceeded to skin and dress the Moose, and buried the 
flesh under the snow, where it will keep for weeks. On 
opening the animal we were surprised to see the great size 
of the lungs and heart, compared with the contents of the 
abdomen. The heart was certainly larger than that of any 
animal which I had seen. The head bears a great resem- 
blance to that of a horse, but the “muffle” is more than twice 
as large, and when the animal is irritated or frightened, it 
projects that part much farther than usual. It is stated, in 
some descriptions of the Moose, that he is short-winded and 
tender-footed, but he certainly is capable of long-continued 
and very great exertion, and his feet, for any thing that I 
have seen to the contrary, are as hard as those of any other 
quadruped. The young Moose was so exhausted and 
fretted, that it offered no opposition to us as we led it to the 
camp; but in the middle of the night we were awakened by 
a great noise in the hovel, and found that as it had in some 
measure recovered from its terror and state of exhaustion, it 
began to think of getting home, and was now much enraged 
at finding itself so securely imprisoned. We were unable to 
do anything with it, for if we merely approached our hands 
to the openings of the hut, it would spring at us with the 
greatest fury, roaring and erecting its mane in a manner 
that convinced us of the futility of all attempts to save it 
alive. We threw to it the skin of a deer, which it tore to 
pieces in a moment. This individual was a yearling, and 
about six feet high. When we went to look for the other, 
which we had left in the woods, we found that he had “taken 
his back-track,” or retraced his steps, and gone to the 
“beat,” about a mile and a half distant, and which it may 
be interesting to describe. 

At the approach of winter, parties of Moose Deer, from 
two to fifty in number, begin to lessen their range, and pro- 


A MOOSE HUNT 213 


ceed slowly to the south side of some hill, where they feed 
within still narrower limits, as the snows begin to fall. 
When it accumulates on the ground, the snow, for a consid- 
erable space, is divided into well trodden, irregular paths, in 
which they keep, and browse upon the bushes at the sides, 
occasionally striking out a new path, so that, by the spring, 
many of those made at the beginning of winter are obliter- 
ated. A “yard” for half a dozen Moose would probably 
contain about twenty acres. 

A good hunter, although still a great way off, will not only 
perceive that there is a yard in the vicinity, but can tell the 
direction in which it lies, and even be pretty sure of the 
distance. It is by the marks on the trees that he discovers 
this circumstance; he finds the young maple, and especially 
the moose-wood and birch, with the bark gnawed off to the 
height of five of six feet on one side, and the twigs bitten, 
with the impression of the teeth left in such a manner, that 
the position of the animal when browsing on them may be 
ascertained. Following the course indicated by these marks, 
the hunter gradually finds them more distinct and frequent, 
until at length he arrives at the yard; but there he finds no 
moose, for long before he reaches the place, their extremely 
acute smell and hearing warn them of his approach when 
they leave the yard, generally altogether, the strongest lead- 
ing in one tract, or in two or three parties. When pursued 
they usually separate, except the females, which keep with 
their young, and go before to break the track for them; nor 
will they leave them under any circumstances until brought 
down by their ruthless pursuers. ‘The males, especially the 
old ones, being quite lean at this season, go off at great 
speed and unless the snow is extremely deep, soon outstrip 
the hunters. They usually go in the direction of the wind, 
making many short turns to keep the scent, or to avoid some 
bad passage; and although they may sink to the bottom at 
every step, they cannot be overtaken in less than three or 
four days. ‘The females, on the contrary, are remarkably 


Q14 A MOOSE HUNT 


fat, and it is not at all unfrequent to find in one of them a 
hundred pounds of raw tallow. But let us return to the 
young buck, which had regained the yard. 

We found him still more untractable than the female we 
had left in the hovel; he had trodden down the snow for a 
small space around him, which he refused to leave, and 
would spring with great fury at any one who approached 
the spot too near; and as turning on snow-shoes is not an 
easy operation, we were content to let him alone, and try to 
find one in a better situation for capture, knowing that if we 
did eventually secure him, he would probably in the strug- 
gle injure himself too much to live. I have good reason to 
believe that the only practicable mode of taking them un- 
injured, except when they are very young, is, when they are 
exhausted and completely defenceless, to bind them securely, 
and keep them so till they have become pacified and con- 
vinced of the uselessness of any attempt at resistance. If 
allowed to exert themselves as they please, they almost al- 
ways kill themselves, as we found by experience. 

On the following day we again set out, and coming across 
the tracks of two young bucks, which had been started by 
the Indians, we pursued them, and in two or three miles 
overtook them. As it was desirable to obtain them as near 
the camp as possible, we attempted to steer them that way. 
For a while we succeeded very well in our scheme, but at 
last one of them, after making many ineffectual attempts to 
get another way, turned upon his pursuer, who, finding 
himself not very safe, felt obliged to shoot him. His com- 
panion, who was a little more tractable, we drove on a short 
way, but as he had contrived to take many turnings, he could 
approach us on his back-track too swiftly, so that we were 
compelled to shoot him also. We “dressed” them, taking 
with us the tongues and muffles, which are considered the 
most delicate parts. 

We had not walked more than a quarter of a mile, when we 
perceived some of the indications before mentioned, which 


A MOOSE HUNT 215 


we followed for half a mile, when we came across a yard, 
and going round it we found where the Moose had left it, 
though we afterwards learned that we had missed a fine buck, 
which the dogs, however, afterwards discovered. We soon 
overtook a female with a young one, and were not long in 
sight of them when they stood at bay. It is really wonder- 
ful how soon they beat down a hard space in the snow to 
stand upon, when it is impossible for a dog to touch them, 
as they stamp so violently with their fore feet, that it is 
certain death to approach them. This Moose had only one 
calf with her, and on opening her we perceived that she 
would only have had one the next year, though the usual 
number is two, almost invariably a male and a female. We 
shot them with ball through the brain. 

The Moose bears a considerable resemblance to the horse . 
in his conformation, and in his disposition a still greater, hav- 
ing much of the sagacity as well as viciousness of that ani- 
mal. We had an opportunity of observing the wonderful 
acuteness of its hearing and smelling. As we were standing 
by one, he suddenly erected his ears, and put himself on the 
alert, evidently aware of the approach of some person. 
About ten minutes after one of our party came up, who 
must have been at the time at least half a mile off, and the 
wind was from the Moose towards him. 

This species of Deer feeds on the hemlock, cedar, fir or 
pine, but will not touch the spruce. It also eats the twigs 
of the maple, birch, and soft shoots of other trees. In the 
autumn they may be enticed by imitating their peculiar cry, 
which is described as truly frightful. The hunter gets up 
into a tree, or conceals himself in some other secure place, 
and imitates this cry by means of a piece of birch-bark rolled 
up to give the proper tone. Presently he hears the Moose 
come dashing along, and when he gets near enough, takes a 
good aim, and soon dispatches him. It is very unsafe to 
stand within reach of the animal, for he would certainly en- 
deavour to demolish you. 


216 A MOOSE HUNT 


A full grown male Moose is said to measure nine feet in 
height, and with his immense branching antlers presents a 
truly formidable appearance. Like the Virginian Deer and 
the male Karaboo, they shed their horns every year about 
the beginning of December. The first year their horns are 
not dropped in spring. When irritated the Moose makes a 
great grinding with his teeth, erects his mane, lays back his 
ears, and stamps with violence. When disturbed he makes 
a hideous whine, much in the manner of the Camel. 

In that wild and secluded part of the country, seldom vis- 
ited but by the Indians, the Common Deer were without 
number, and it was with great difficulty that we kept the 
dogs with us, as they were continually meeting with 
“beats.” In its habits that species greatly resembles the 
Moose. ‘The Karaboo has a very broad flat foot, and can 
spread it on the snow to the fetlock, so as to be able to run on 
a crust scarcely hard enough to bear a dog. When the snow 
is soft, they keep in immense droves around the margin of 
the large lakes, to which they betake themselves when pur- 
sued, the crust being much harder there than elsewhere. 
When it becomes more firm, they strike into the woods. As 
they possess such facility of running on snow, they do not 
require to make any yards, and consequently have no fixed 
place in the winter. The speed of this animal is not well 
known, but I am inclined to believe it much greater than 
that of the fleetest horse. 

In our camp we saw great numbers of Crossbills, Gros- 
beaks and various other small birds. Of the first of these 
were two species, which were very tame, and alighted on our 
hut with the greatest familiarity. We caught five or six 
at once under a snow-shoe. ‘The Pine-Martin and Wild 
Cat were also very abundant. 


JOURNEY IN NEW BRUNSWICK AND MAINE 


THE morning after that which we had spent with Sir 
Archibald Campbell, and his delightful family, saw us pro- 
ceeding along the shores of the St. John’s River in the 
British province of New Brunswick. As we passed the 
Government-house our hearts bade its generous inmates 
adieu ; and as we left Frederickton behind, the recollection of 
the many acts of kindness which we had received from its 
inhabitants, came powerfully on our minds. Slowly ad- 
vancing over the surface of the translucent stream, we still 
fancied our ears saluted by the melodies of the unrivaled 
band of the 43d Regiment. In short, with the remembrance 
of kindness experienced, the feeling of expectations grati- 
fied, the hope of adding to our knowledge, and the possession 
of health and vigour, we were luxuriating in happiness. 

The “Favourite,” the bark in which we were, contained 
not only my whole family, but nearly a score and a half of 
individuals of all descriptions, so that the crowded state of 
her cabin soon began to prove rather disagreeable. The 
boat itself was a mere scow, commanded by a person of 
rather uncouth aspect and rude manners. ‘I'wo sorry nags 
he had fastened to the end of a long tow-line, on the nearer 
of which rode a Negro youth, less than half clad, with a long 
switch in one hand, and the joined bridles in the other, striv- 
ing with all his might to urge them on at the rate of some- 
thing more than two miles an hour. 

How fortunate is it for one to possess a little of the knowl- 
edge of a true traveller! Following the advice of a good 
and somewhat aged one, we had provided ourselves with a 
large basket, which was not altogether empty when we 


reached the end of our aquatic excursion. Here and there 
217 


218 JOURNEY IN NEW BRUNSWICK 


the shores of the river were delightful, the space between 
it and the undulatory hills that bounded the prospect being 
highly cultivated, while now and then its abrupt and rocky 
banks assumed a most picturesque appearance. Although 
it was late in September, the mowers were still engaged in 
cutting the grass, and the gardens of the farmers shewed 
patches of green pease. ‘The apples were still green, and the 
vegetation in general reminded us that we were in a north- 
ern latitude. 

Gradually and slowly we proceeded, until in the after- 
noon we landed to exchange our jaded horses. We saw a 
house on an eminence, with groups of people assembled 
round it, but there no dinner could be obtained, because, as 
the landlord told us, an election was going on. So the 
basket was had recourse to, and on the green sward we re- 
freshed ourselves with its contents. ‘This done, we returned 
to the scow, and resumed our stations. As usual in such 
cases, in every part of the world that I had visited, our 
second set of horses was worse than the first. However, 
on we went. ‘To tell you how often the tow-line gave way, 
would not be more amusing to you than it was annoying to 
us. Once our commander was in consequence plunged into 
the stream, but after some exertion he succeeded in regain- 
ing his gallant bark, when he consoled himself by giving 
utterance to a volley of blasphemies, which it would as ill 
become me to repeat as it would be disagreeable to you to 
hear. We slept somewhere that night; it does not suit my 
views of travelling to tell you where. 

Before day returned to smile on the “Favourite,” we pro- 
ceeded. Some “rapids” we came to, when every one, glad 
to assist her, leaped on shore, and tugged @ la cordelle. 
Some miles farther we passed a curious cataract, formed by 
the waters of the Pokioke. ‘There Sambo led his steeds up 
the sides of a high bank, when, lo! the whole party came 
tumbling down, like so many hogsheads of tobacco rolled 
from a storehouse to the banks of the Ohio. He at the steer- 


JOURNEY IN NEW BRUNSWICK 219 


ing oar hoped ‘“‘the black rascal’? had broken his neck, and 
congratulated himself in the same breath for the safety of 
the horses, which presently got on their feet. Sambo, how- 
ever, alert as an Indian chief, leaped on the naked back of 
one, and, shewing his teeth, laughed at his master’s curses. 
Shortly after this we found our boat very snugly secured on 
the top of a rock, midway in the stream, just opposite the 
mouth of Eel River. 

Next day at noon, none injured, but all chapfallen, we 
were landed at Woodstock village, yet in its infancy. After 
dining there, we procured a cart and an excellent driver, and 
proceeded along an execrable road towards Houlton, in 
Maine, glad enough, after all our mishaps, at finding our- 
selves in our own country. But before I bid farewell to the 
beautiful river of St. John, I must tell you, that its naviga- 
tion seldom exceeds eight months each year, the passage 
during the rest being performed on the ice, of which we were 
told that, last season, there was an unusual quantity, so 
much, indeed, as to accumulate, by being jammed at par- 
ticular spots, to the height of nearly fifty feet above the 
ordinary level of the river, and that when it broke loose in 
spring, the crash was awful. All the low grounds along the 
river were suddenly flooded, and even the elevated plain on 
which Frederickton stands was covered to the depth of four 
feet. Fortunately, however, as on the greater streams of 
the Western and Southern Districts, such an occurrence sel- 
dom takes place. 

Major Clarke, commander of the United States garrison, 
received us with remarkable kindness. The next day was 
spent in a long though fruitless ornithological excursion, 
for although we were accompanied by officers and men from 
the garrison, not a bird did any of our party procure that 
was of any use to us. We remained a few days, however, 
after which, hiring a cart, two horses, and a driver, we pro- 
ceeded in the direction of Bangor. 

Houlton is a neat village, consisting of some fifty houses. 


220 JOURNEY IN NEW BRUNSWICK 


The fort is well situated, and commands a fine view of Mar’s 
Hill, which is about thirteen miles distant. A custom-house 
has been erected here, the place being on the boundary line 
of the United States and the British Provinces. ‘The road 
which was cut by the soldiers of this garrison, from Bangor 
to Houlton, through the forests, is at this moment a fine 
turnpike, of great breadth, almost straight in its whole 
length, and perhaps the best now in the Union. It was 
incomplete, however, for some miles, so that our travelling 
over that portion was slow and disagreeable. ‘The rain 
which fell in torrents, reduced the newly raised earth to a 
complete bed of mud, and at one time our horses became so 
completely mired, that had we not been extricated by two 
oxen, we must have spent the night near the spot. Jogging 
along at a very slow pace, we were overtaken by a gay wag- 
goner, who had excellent horses, two of which a little “‘siller” 
induced him to join to ours, and we were taken to a tavern at 
the “Cross Roads,” where we spent the night in comfort. 
While supper was preparing, I made inquiries respecting 
birds, quadrupeds, and fishes, and was pleased to hear that 
all these animals abounded in the neighbourhood. Deer, 
bears, trouts and grouse were quite plentiful, as was the 
Great Gray Owl! 

When we resumed our journey next morning, Nature dis- 
played all her loveliness ; and Autumn, with her mellow tints, 
her glowing fruits, and her rich fields of corn, smiled in 
placid beauty. Many of the fields had not yet been reaped, 
the fruits of the forests and orchards hung clustering 
around us, and as we came in view of the Penobscot River, 
our hearts thrilled with joy. Its broad transparent waters 
here spread out their unruffled surface, there danced along 
the rapids, while canoes filled with Indians swiftly glided in 
every direction, raising before them the timorous waterfowl 
that had already flocked in from the north. Mountains, 
which you well know are indispensable in a beautiful land- 
scape, reared their majestic crests in the distance. The 


JOURNEY IN NEW BRUNSWICK Q21 


Canada Jay leaped gaily from branch to twig; the King 
Fisher, as if vexed at being suddenly surprised, rattled 
loudly as it swiftly flew off; and the Fish Hawk and Eagle 
spread their broad wings over the waters. All around was 
beautiful, and we gazed on the scene with delight, as seated 
on a verdant bank, we refreshed our frames from our replen- 
ished stores. A few rare birds were procured here, and the 
rest of the road being level and firm, we trotted on at a 
good pace for several hours, the Penobscot keeping com- 
pany with us. 

Now we came to a deep creek of which the bridge was un- 
dergoing repairs, and the people saw our vehicle approach 
with much surprise. They however assisted us with pleas- 
ure, by placing a few logs across, along which our horses one 
after the other were carefully led, and the cart afterwards 
carried. ‘These good fellows were so averse to our recom- 
pensing them for their labour, that after some altercation we 
were obliged absolutely to force what we deemed a suitable 
reward upon them. 

Next day we continued our journey along the Penobscot, 
the country changing its aspect at every mile, and when we 
first descried Old Town, that village of saw-mills looked like 
an island covered with manufactories. The people here are 
noted for their industry and perseverance, and any one pos- 
sessing a mill, and attending to his saws and the floating of 
the timber into his dams, is sure to obtain a competency in 
a few years. Speculations in land covered with pine, lying 
to the north of this place, are carried on to a great extent, 
and to discover a good tract of such ground many a miller 
of Old Town undertakes long journeys. Reader, with your 
leave, I will here introduce one of them. 

Good luck brought us into acquaintance with Mr. Gillies 
whom we happened to meet in the course of our travels, as he 
was returning from an exploratory tour. About the first 
of August he formed a party of sixteen persons, each carry- 
ing a knapsack and an axe. ‘Their provisions consisted of 


222 JOURNEY IN NEW BRUNSWICK 


250 pounds of pilot bread, 150 of salted pork, 4 of tea, 2 
large loaves of sugar, and some salt. They embarked in 
light canoes, twelve miles north of Bangor, and followed the 
Penobscot as far as Wassataquoik River, a branch leading 
to the north-west, until they reached the Seboois Lakes, the 
principal of which lie in a line, with short “portages” be- 
tween them. Still proceeding north-west, they navigated 
these lakes, and then turning west, carried their canoes to 
the great lake “Baamchenunsgamook”; thence north to 
Wallaghasquegantook Lake, then along a small stream to 
the upper Umsaskiss Pond, when they reached the Albagash 
River, which leads into the St. John’s, in about latitude 
47° 3’. Many portions of that country had not been vis- 
ited before even by the Indians, who assured Mr. Gillies of 
this fact. They continued their travels down the St. John’s 
to the Grand Falls, where they met with a portage of half a 
mile, and having reached Meduxmekeag Creek, a little above 
Woodstock, the party walked to Houlton, having travelled 
twelve hundred miles, and described almost an oval over the 
country by the time they returned to Old Town, on the 
Penobscot. 

While anxiously looking for “lumber lands,” they 
ascended the eminences around, then climbed the tallest 
trees, and by means of a good telescope, inspected the pine 
woods in the distance. And such excellent judges are these 
persons of the value of the timber which they thus observe, 
when it is situated at a convenient distance from water, that 
they never afterwards forget the different spots at all worthy 
of their attention. ‘They had observed only a few birds and 
quadrupeds, the latter principally porcupines. ‘The bor- 
ders of the lakes and rivers afforded them fruits of various 
sorts, and abundance of cranberries, while the uplands 
yielded plenty of wild white onions, and a species of black 
plum. Some of the party continued their journey in 
canoes down the St. John’s, ascended Eel River, and the lake 
of the same name, to Matanemheag River, due southwest 


JOURNEY IN NEW BRUNSWICK 223 


of the St John’s, and after a few portages fell into the 
Penobscot. 

I had made arrangements to accompany Mr. Gillies on a 
journey of this kind, when I judged it would be more inter- 
esting as well as useful to me to visit the distant country of 
Labrador. 

The road which we followed from Old Town to Bangor 
was literally covered with Penobscot Indians returning from 
market. On reaching the latter beautiful town, we found 
very comfortable lodging in an excellent hotel; and next 
day we proceeded by the mail to Boston. 


THE BAY OF FUNDY 


Ir was in the month of May that I sailed in the United 
States’ Revenue Cutter the Swiftsure, engaged in a cruise 
in the Bay of Fundy. Our sails were quickly unfurled, and 
spread out to the breeze. The vessel seemed to fly over the 
surface of the liquid element, as the sun rose in full splen- 
dour, while the clouds that floated here and there formed, 
with their glowing hues, a rich contrast with the pure azure 
of the heavens above us. We approached apace the island 
of Grand Manan, of which the stupendous cliffs gradually 
emerged from the deep with the majestic boldness of her 
noblest native chief. Soon our bark passed beneath its 
craggy head, covered with trees, which, on account of the 
height, seemed scarcely larger than shrubs. The prudent 
Raven spread her pinions, launched from the cliff, and flew 
away before us; the Golden Eagle soaring aloft, moved 
majestically along in wide circles; the Guillemots sat on their 
eggs upon the shelvy precipices, or plunging into the water, 
dived, and rose again at a great distance; the Broad- 
breasted Eider Duck covered her eggs among the grassy 
tufts; on a naked rock the seal lazily basked, its sleek sides 
glistening in the sunshine; while shoals of porpoises were 
swiftly gliding through the waters around us, shewing by 
their gambols that, although doomed to the deep, their life 
was not devoid of pleasure. Far away stood the bold shores 
of Nova Scotia, gradually fading in the distance, of which 
the gray tints beautifully relieved the wing-like sails of 
many a fishing bark. 

Cape after cape, forming eddies and counter currents far 
too terrific to be described by a landsman, we passed in suc- 


cession, until we reached a deep cove, near the shores of 
224 


THE BAY OF FUNDY 925 
White Head Island, which is divided from Grand Manan by 


a narrow strait, where we anchored secure from every blast 
that could blow. In a short time we found ourselves under 
the roof of Captain Frankland, the sole owner of the isle, of 
which the surface contains about fifteen hundred acres. He 
received us all with politeness, and gave us permission to 
seek out his treasures, which we immediately set about doing, 
for I was anxious to study the habits of certain Gulls that 
breed there in great numbers. As Captain Cooledge, our 
worthy commander, had assured me, we found them on their 
nests on almost every tree of a wood that covered several 
acres. What a treat, reader, was it to find birds of this kind 
lodged on fir trees, and sitting comfortably on their eggs! 
Their loud cackling notes led us to their place of resort, and 
ere long we had satisfactorily observed their habits, and col- 
lected as many of themselves and their eggs as we consid- 
ered sufficient. In our walks we noticed a rat, the only 
quadruped found in the island, and observed abundance of 
gooseberries, currants, rasps, strawberries, and whortle- 
berries. Seating ourselves on the summit of the rocks, in 
view of the vast Atlantic, we spread out our stores, and re- 
freshed ourselves with our simple fare. 

Now we followed the objects of our pursuit through the 
tangled woods, now carefully picked our steps over the 
spongy grounds. ‘The air was filled with the melodious con- 
certs of birds, and all nature seemed to smile in quiet enjoy- 
ment. We wandered about until the setting sun warned us 
to depart, when, returning to the house of the proprietor, we 
sat down to an excellent repast, and amused ourselves with 
relating anecdotes and forming arrangements for the mor- 
row. Our Captain complimented us on our success, when 
we reached the Swiftsure, and in due time we betook our- 
selves to our hammocks. 

The next morning a strange sail appearing in the dis- 
tance, preparations were instantly made to pay her com- 
mander a visit. The signal-staff of White Head Island 


226 THE BAY OF FUNDY 


displayed the British flag, while Captain Frankland and his 
men stood on the shore, and as we gave our sails to the wind, 
three hearty cheers filled the air, and were instantly re- 
sponded to by us. The vessel was soon approached, but all 
was found right with her, and squaring our yards onward 
we sped, cheerily bounding over the gay billows, until our 
Captain sent us ashore at Eastport. 

At another time my party was received on board the 
Revenue Cutter’s tender the “Fancy,”’—a charming name 
for so beautiful a craft. We set sail towards evening. ‘The 
cackling of the “old wives,” that covered the bay, filled me 
with delight, and thousands of Gulls and Cormorants seemed 
as if anxious to pilot us into Head Harbour Bay, where we 
anchored for the night. Leaping on the rugged shore, we 
made our way to the lighthouse, where we found Mr. Snel- 
ling, a good and honest Englishman from Devonshire. 
His family consisted of three wild looking lasses, beautiful, 
like the most finished productions of nature. In his light- 
house, snugly ensconsed, he spent his days in peaceful for- 
getfulness of the world, subsisting principally on the fish of 
the bay. 

When day broke, how delightful was it to see fair Nature 
open her graceful eyelids, and present herself arrayed in all 
that was richest and purest before her Creator. Ah, reader, 
how indelibly are such moments engraved on my soul! 
With what ardour have I at such times gazed around me, 
full of the desire of being enabled to comprehend all that I 
saw! How often have I longed to converse with the feath- 
ered inhabitants of the forest, all of which seemed then intent 
on offering up their thanks to the object of my own admira- 
tion! But the wish could not be gratified, although I now 
feel satisfied that I have enjoyed as much of the wonders and 
beauties of nature as it was proper for me to enjoy. The 
delightful trills of the Winter Wren rolled through the 
underwood, the red squirrel smacked time with his chaps, the 
loud notes of the Robin sounded clearly from the tops of the 


THE BAY OF FUNDY Q27 


trees, the rosy Grosbeak nipped the tender blossoms of the 
maples, and high over head the loons passed in pairs, rapidly 
wending their way toward far distant shores. Would that 
I could have followed in their wake! 

The hour of our departure had come; and as we sailed up 
the bay, our pilot who had been fishing for cod, was taken 
on board. A few of his fish were roasted on a plank before 
the embers, and formed the principal part of our breakfast. 
The breeze was light, and it was not until afternoon that we 
arrived at Point Lepreaux Harbour, where every one, mak- 
ing choice of his course, went in search of curiosities and 
provender. 

Now, reader, the little harbour in which, if you wish it, 
we shall suppose we still are, is renowned for a circumstance 
which I feel much inclined to endeavour to explain to you. 
Several species of Ducks, that in myriads cover the water of 
the Bay of Fundy, are at times destroyed in this particular 
spot in a very singular manner. When July has come, all 
the water-birds that are no longer capable of reproducing, 
remain like so many forlorn bachelors and old maids to re- 
new their plumage along the shores. At the period when 
these poor birds are unfit for flight troops of Indians make 
their appearance in light bark-canoes, paddled by their 
squaws and pappooses. They form their flotilla into an ex- 
tended curve, and drive before them the birds, not in silence, 
but with simultaneous horrific yells, at the same time beating 
the surface of the water with long poles and paddles. 'Ter- 
rified by the noise, the birds swim a long way before them, 
endeavouring to escape with all their might. The tide is 
high, every cove is filled, and into the one where we now are, 
thousands of Ducks are seen entering. The Indians have 
ceased to shout, and the canoes advance side by side. Time 
passes on, the tide swiftly recedes as it rose, and there are 
the birds left on the beach. See with what pleasure each 
wild inhabitant of the forest seizes his stick, the squaws and 
younglings following with similar weapons! Look at them 


228 THE BAY OF FUNDY 


rushing on their prey, falling on the disabled birds, and 
smashing them with their cudgels, until all are destroyed! 
In this manner upwards of five hundred wild fowls have 
often been procured in a few hours. 

Three pleasant days were spent about Point Lepreaux, 
when the Fancy spread her wings to the breeze. In one 
harbour we fished for shells, with an excellent dredge, and in 
another searched along the shore for eggs. ‘The Pas- 
samaquody chief is seen gliding swiftly over the deep in his 
fragile bark. He has observed a porpoise breathing. 
Watch him, for now he is close upon the unsuspecting 
dophin. He rises erect, aims his musket; smoke rises curl- 
ing from the pan, and rushes from the iron tube, when soon 
after the report comes on the ear ;—meantime the porpoise 
has suddenly turned back downwards ;—it is dead. ‘The 
body weighs a hundred pounds or more, but this to the 
tough-fibred son of the woods is nothing; he reaches it with 
his muscular arms, and at a single jerk, while with his legs 
he dexterously steadies the canoe, he throws it lengthwise 
at his feet. Amidst the highest waves of the Bay of Fundy, 
these feats are performed by the Indians during the whole of 
the season when the porpoises resort thither. 

You have often, no doubt, heard of the extraordinary 
tides of this bay; so had I, but, like others, I was loth to be- 
lieve that the reports were strictly true. So I went to the 
pretty town of Windsor, in Nova Scotia, to judge for my- 
self. But let us leave the Fancy for a while, and fancy 
ourselves at Windsor. Late one day in August, my com- 
panions and I were seated on the grassy and elevated bank 
of the river, about eighty feet or so above its bed, which was 
almost dry, and extended for nine miles below like a sandy 
wilderness. Many vessels lay on the high banks, taking in 
their landing of gypsum. We thought the appearance very 
singular, but we were too late to watch the tide that evening. 
Next morning we resumed our station, and soon perceived 
the water flowing towards us, and rising with a rapidity of 


THE BAY OF FUNDY 229 


which we had previously seen no example. We planted 
along the steep declivity of the bank a number of sticks, each 
three feet long, the base of one. being placed on a level with 
the top of that below it, and when about half-flow the tide 
reached their tops, one after another, rising three feet in ten 
minutes, or eighteen in the hour; and, at high water, the sur- 
face was sixty-five feet above the bed of the river! On 
looking for the vessels which we had seen the preceding eve- 
ning, we were told that most of them had gone with the night 
tide. 

But now we are again on board the Fancy; Mr. Claredge 
stands near the pilot, who sits next to the man at the helm. 
On we move swiftly, for the breeze has freshened; many 
islands we pass in succession; the wind increases to a gale; 
with reefed sails we dash along, and now rapidly pass a 
heavily laden sloop gallantly running across our course with 
undiminished sail; when suddenly we see her upset. Staves 
and spars are floating around, and presently we observe 
three men scrambling up her sides, and seating themselves 
on the keel, where they make signals of distress to us. By 
this time we have run to a great distance; but Claredge, cool 
and prudent, as every seaman ought to be, has already is- 
sued his orders to the helmsman and crew, and now near the 
wind we gradually approach the sufferers. A line is thrown 
to them, and next moment we are alongside the vessel. A 
fisher’s boat, too, has noticed the disaster; and, with long 
strokes of her oars, advances, now rising on the curling wave, 
and now sinking out of sight. By our mutual efforts the 
men are brought on board, and the sloop is slowly towed into 
a safe harbour. In an hour after, my party was safely 
landed at Eastport, where, on looking over the waters, and 
observing the dense masses of vapour that veiled the shores, 
we congratulated ourselves at having escaped from the Bay 


of Fundy. 


COD-FISHING IN LABRADOR 


‘AuttHoucH I had seen, as I thought, abundance of fish along 
the coasts of the Floridas, the numbers which I found in 
Labrador quite astonished me. Should your surprise, while 
reading the following statement be as great as mine was 
while observing the facts related, you will conclude, as I have 
often done, that Nature’s means for providing small animals 
for the use of larger ones, and vice versa, are as ample as 1s 
the grandeur of that world which she has so curiously con- 
structed. 

The coast of Labrador is visited by European as well as 
American fishermen, all of whom are, I believe, entitled to 
claim portions of fishing-ground, assigned to each nation by 
mutual understanding. For the present, however, I shall 
confine my observations to those of our own country, who, 
after all, are probably the most numerous. ‘The citizens of 
Boston, and many others of our eastern seaports, are those 
who chiefly engage in this department of our commerce. 
Eastport, in Maine, sends out every year a goodly fleet of 
schooners and ‘“‘pickaxes” to Labrador, to procure cod, 
mackerel, halibut, and sometimes herring, the latter being 
caught in the intermediate space. The vessels from that 
port, and others in Maine and Massachusetts, sail as soon as 
the warmth of spring has freed the gulf of ice, that is, from 
the beginning of May to that of June. 

A vessel of one hundred tons or so, is provided with a crew 
of twelve men, who are equally expert as sailors and fishers, 
and for every couple of these hardy tars, a Hampton boat is 
provided, which is lashed on the deck, or hung in stays. 
Their provision is simple, but of good quality, and it is very 
seldom that any spirits are allowed, beef, pork, and biscuit, 


with water, being all they take with them. ‘The men are 
230 


COD-FISHING IN LABRADOR 231 


supplied with warm clothing, water-proof oiled jackets and 
trowsers, large boots, broad-brimmed hats with a round 
crown, and stout mittens, with a few shirts. ‘The owner or 
captain furnishes them with lines, hooks, and nets, and also 
provides the bait best adapted to ensure success. The hold 
of the vessel is filled with casks of various dimensions, some 
containing salt, and others for the oil that may be procured. 

The bait generally used at the beginning of the season, 
consists of mussels salted for the purpose; but as soon as 
the capelings reach the coast, they are substituted to save 
expense; and in many instances, the flesh of gannets and 
other sea-fowl is employed. ‘The wages of fishermen vary 
from sixteen to thirty dollars per month, according to the 
qualifications of the individual. 

The labour of these men is excessively hard, for, unless on 
Sunday, their allowance of rest in the twenty-four hours 
seldom exceeds three. ‘The cook is the only person who fares 
better in this respect, but he must also assist in curing the 
fish. He has breakfast, consisting of coffee, bread, and 
meat, ready for the captain and the whole crew, by three 
o’clock every morning, excepting Sunday. Tach person 
carries with him his dinner ready cooked, which is com- 
monly eaten on the fishing-grounds. 

Thus, at three in the morning, the crew are prepared for 
their day’s labour, and ready to betake themselves to their 
boats, each of which has two oars and lugsails. ‘They all de- 
part at once, and either by rowing or sailing, reach the 
banks to which the fishes are known to resort. The little 
squadron drop their anchors at short distances from each 
other, in a depth of from ten to twenty feet, and the business 
is immediately commenced. Each man has two lines, and 
each stands in one end of the boat, the middle of which is 
boarded off to hold the fish. The baited lines have been 
dropped into the water, one on each side of the boat; their 
leads have reached the bottom, a fish has taken the hook, and 
after giving the line a slight jerk, the fisherman hauls up 


232 COD-FISHING IN LABRADOR 


his prize with a continued pull, throws the fish athwart a 
small round bar of iron placed near his back, which forces 
open the mouth, while the weight of the body, however small 
the fish may be, tears out the hook. The bait is still good, 
and over the side the line again goes, to catch another fish, 
while that on the left is now drawn up, and the same course ~ 
pursued. In this manner, a fisher busily plying at each 
end, the operation is continued until the boat is so laden, 
that her gunwale is brought within a few inches of the sur- 
face, when they return to the vessel in harbour, seldom dis- 
tant more than eight miles from the banks. 

During the greater part of the day, the fishermen have 
kept up a constant conversation, of which the topics are 
the pleasure of finding a good supply of cod, their domestic 
affairs, the political prospects of the nation, and other mat- 
ters similarly connected. Now the repartee of one elicits a 
laugh from the other; this passes from man to man, and the 
whole flotilla enjoy the joke. ‘Then men of one boat strive 
to outdo those of the others in hauling up the greatest 
quantity of fish in a given time, and this forms another. 
source of merriment. The boats are generally filled about 
the same time, and ail return together. 

Arrived at the vessel, each man employs a pole armed with 
a bent iron, resembling the prong of a hay-fork, with which 
he pierces the fish, and throws it with a jerk on deck, count- 
ing the number thus discharged with a loud voice. Each 
cargo is thus safely deposited, and the boats instantly re- 
turn to the fishing-ground, when, after anchoring, the men 
eat their dinner and begin a-new. ‘There, good reader, with 
your leave, I will let them pursue their avocations for a 
while, as I am anxious that you should witness what is doing 
on board the vessel. 

The captain, four men, and the cook, have, in the course 
of the morning, erected long tables fore and aft the main 
hatchway, they have taken to the shore most of the salt bar- 
rels, and have placed in a row their large empty casks, to. 


COD-FISHING IN LABRADOR 233 


receive the livers. The hold of the vessel is quite clear ex- 
cept a corner where is a large heap of salt. And now the 
men, having dined precisely at twelve, are ready with their 
large knives. One begins with breaking off the head of the 
fish, a slight pull of the hand and a gash with the knife 
effecting this in a moment. He slits up its belly, with one 
hand pushes it aside to his neighbour, then throws over- 
board the head, and begins to prepare another. The next 
man tears out the entrails, separates the liver, which he 
throws into a cask, and casts the rest overboard. A third 
person dexterously passes his knife beneath the vertebres of 
the fish, separates them from the flesh, heaves the latter 
through the hatchway, and the former into the water. 

Now, if you will peep into the hold, you will see the last 
stage of the process, the salting and packing. Six experi- 
enced men generally manage to head, gut, bone, salt and 
pack, all the fish caught in the morning, by the return of the 
boats with fresh cargoes, when all hands set to work, and 
clear the deck of the fish. Thus their labours continue until 
twelve o’clock, when they wash their faces and hands, put on 
clean clothes, hang their fishing apparel on the shrouds, and, 
betaking themselves to the forecastle, are soon in a sound 
sleep. 

At three next morning comes the captain from his berth, 
rubbing his eyes, and in a loud voice calling “all hands, ho!” 
Stiffened in limb, and but half awake, the crew quickly ap- 
pear on the deck. ‘Their fingers and hands are so cramped 
and swollen by pulling the lines, that it is difficult for them 
to straighten even a thumb; but this matters little at pres- 
ent; for the cook, who had a good nap yesterday, has risen 
an hour before them, and prepared their coffee and eatables. 
Breakfast dispatched, they exchange their clean clothes for 
the fishing-apparel, and leap into their boats, which had 
been washed the previous night, and again the flotilla bounds 
to the fishing-ground. 

As there may be not less than 100 schooners or pickaxes 


234 COD-FISHING IN LABRADOR 


in the harbour, 300 boats resort to the banks each day; and, 
as each boat may procure 2000 cods per diem, when Satur- 
day night comes, about 600,000 fishes have been brought to 
the harbour. This having caused some scarcity on the 
fishing-grounds, and Sunday being somewhat of an idle day, 
the Captain collects the salt ashore, and sets sail for some 
other convenient harbour, which he expects to reach long 
before sunset. If the weather be favourable, the men get 
a good deal of rest during the voyage, and on Monday things 
go on as before. 

I must not omit to tell you, reader, that, while proceeding 
from one harbour to another, the vessel has passed near a 
rock, which is the breeding place of myriads of Puffins. She 
has laid to for an hour or so, while part of the crew have 
landed, and collected a store of eggs, excellent as a substi- 
tute for cream, and not less so when hard boiled as food for 
the fishing-grounds. I may as well inform you, also, how 
these adventurous fellows distinguish the fresh eggs from 
the others. They fill up some large tubs with water, throw 
in a quantity of eggs, and allow them to remain a minute 
or so, when those which come to the surface are tossed over- 
board, and even those that manifest any upward tendency, 
share the same treatment. All that remain at bottom, you 
may depend upon it, good reader, are perfectly sound, and 
not less palatable than any that you have ever eaten, or that 
your best guinea-fowl has just dropped in your barn-yard. 
But let us return to the cod-fish. 

The fish already procured and salted, is taken ashore at 
the new harbour, by part of the crew, whom the captain has 
marked as the worst hands at fishing. There, on the bare 
rocks, or on elevated scaffolds of considerable extent, the 
salted cods are laid side by side to dry in the sun. They are 
turned several times a-day, and in the intervals the men bear 
a hand on board at clearing and stowing away the daily pro- 
duce oi the fishing-banks. ‘Towards evening they return to 
the drying grounds, and put up the fish in piles resembling 


COD-FISHING IN LABRADOR 235 


so many hay-stacks, disposing those towards the top in such 
a manner that the rain cannot injure them, and placing a 
heavy stone on the summit to prevent their being thrown 
down should it blow hard during the night. You see, 
reader, that the life of a Labrador fisherman is not one of 
idleness. 

The capelings have approached the shores, and in myriads 
enter every basin and stream, to deposit their spawn, for 
now July is arrived. The cods follow them, as the blood- 
hound follows his prey, and their compact masses literally 
line the shores. The fishermen now adopt another method: 
they have brought with them long and deep seines, one end 
of which is, by means of a line fastened to the shore, while 
the other is, in the usual manner, drawn out in a broad 
sweep, to inclose as great a space as possible, and hauled 
on shore by means of a capstan. Some of the men in boats 
support the corked part of the net, and beat the water, to 
frighten the fishes within towards the land, while others, 
armed. with poles, enter the water, hook the fishes, and fling 
them on the beach, the net being gradually drawn closer as 
the number of fishes diminishes. What do you think, 
reader, as to the number of cods secured in this manner at 
a single haul?—thirty, or thirty thousand? You may form 
some notion of the matter when I tell you that the young 
gentlemen of my party, while going along the shores, caught 
cod-fish alive, with their hands, and trouts of many pounds 
weight with a piece of twine and a mackerel-hook hung to 
their gun-rods; and that, if two of them walked knee-deep 
along the rocks, holding a handkerchief by the corners, they 
swept it full of capelings. Should you not trust me in this, 
I refer you to the fishermen themselves, or recommend you to 
go to Labrador, where you will give credit to the testimony 
of your eyes. 

The “seining” of the cod-fish, I believe, is not quite law- 
ful, for a great proportion of the codlings which are dragged 
ashore at last, are so small as to be considered useless; and, 


236 COD-FISHING IN LABRADOR 


instead of being returned to the water, as they ought to be, 
are left on the shore, where they are ultimately eaten by 
bears, wolves, and ravens. The fishes taken along the coast, 
or on fishing-stations only a few miles off, are of small di- 
mensions; and I believe I am correct in saying, that few of 
them weigh more than two pounds, when perfectly cured, or 
exceed six when taken out of the water. The fish are liable 
to several diseases, and at times are annoyed by parasitic 
animals, which in a short time render them lean and unfit 
for use. 

Some individuals, from laziness, or other causes, fish with 
naked hooks, and thus frequently wound the cod without 
securing them, in consequence of which the shoals are driven 
away, to the detriment of the other fishers. Some carry 
their cargoes to other parts before drying them, while others 
dispose of them to agents from distant shores. Some have 
only a pickaxe of fifty tons, while others are owners of seven 
or eight vessels of equal or larger burden; but whatever be 
their means, should the season prove favourable, they are 
generally well repaid for their labour. I have known in- 
stances of men, who, on their first voyage, ranked as “‘boys,” 
and in ten years after were in independent circumstances, al- 
though they still continued to resort to the fishing; for, said 
they to me, “how could we be content to spend our time in 
idleness at home!” I know a person of this class who has 
carried on the trade for many years, and who has quite a 
little fleet of schooners, one of which, the largest and most 
beautifully built, has a cabin as neat and comfortable as 
any that I have ever seen in a vessel of the same size. This 
vessel took fish on board only when perfectly cured, or acted 
as pilot to the rest, and now and then would return home with 
an ample supply of halibut, or a cargo of prime mackerel. 
On another occasion, I will offer some remarks on the im- 
provements which I think might be made in the cod- 
fisheries of the coast of Labrador. 


THE MERCHANT OF SAVANNAH 


I reFt the little port of St. Augustine, in East Florida, on 
the 5th of March, 1832, in the packet schooner, the Agnes, 
bound for Charleston. The weather was fair, and the 
wind favourable; but on the afternoon of the second day, 
heavy clouds darkened the heavens, and our sails hung flap- 
ping against the masts. Nature, with an angry aspect, 
seemed to be breathing for a moment, before collecting her 
energies, to inflict some signal punishment-on guilty man. 
Our captain was an old and experienced seaman. I alter- 
nately watched his eye and the distant cloud; both were 
black, firm, and determined. Satisfied as to our safety, the 
vessel being perfectly sound, and the crew composed of 
young active men, I determined to remain on deck, and wit- 
ness the scene that was about to present itself. The rest of 
the passengers had withdrawn when the cloud approached 
the vessel. The captain went up to the helmsman, and in 
a twinkling the sails were furled excepting one, which was 
so closely reefed, that it no longer resembled its former self. 
In another minute, down came the blast upon us, sweeping 
the spray over the vessel, and driving her along at a furious 
rate. It increased; all on board was silent; but onward, un- 
scathed, sped the Agnes, driving through the snow-topped 
waves. I cannot tell you at what rate we were carried by 
the gale, but at the end of a few hours, the blue sky again 
appeared, and the anchor was dropped in the mouth of the 
Savannah River. 

Landing there, I presented my credentials to an officer of 
the Engineer Corps, who was engaged in building a fort. 
He received me with great politeness, invited me to spend the 


night at his quarters, and promised to have his barge ready 
237 


238 THE MERCHANT OF SAVANNAH 


at dawn to convey my party to Savannah. We, however, 
accepted only the proffered favour of the boat, and having 
purchased some “shads,”’ returned to the Agnes, where we 
slept. 

The morning was beautiful, and we felt cheerful and 
buoyant as we ascended the stream in the barge. ‘'Thou- 
sands of Canvas-backed Ducks swam gracefully in pairs 
over the broad waters; from the adjoining rice-fields rose 
myriads of Grakles, Red-wings, and Ortolans, as we ap- 
proached the shores, while now and then the great Heron 
opened its broad blue wings, and with a hoarse scream rose 
slowly into the air. Presently we passed a ship at anchor, 
and now opened on our view the city of Savannah, where 
we soon landed. 

Repairing to a hotel, I immediately took a seat in the 
mail, in order to proceed directly to Charleston; but hap- 
pening to have a letter of introduction from the Rathbones, 
of Liverpool, to a merchant in the city, to whom I had al- 
ready written, and to whose care I had several times taken 
the liberty of consigning my baggage-trunks, I resolved to 
wait upon him, and return him my thanks. In the company 
of a gentleman, who kindly offered to guide me, I therefore 
proceeded, and was fortunate enough to meet him in the 
street. ‘The merchant took my arm under his, and as we 
proceeded, talked of the many demands of money made on 
him for charitable purposes, the high price of the “Birds of 
America,” and his inability to subscribe for that work, con- 
cluding with telling me, that he much doubted if even a 
single purchaser could be got in Savannah. 

My spirits were sadly depressed, for my voyage to the 
Floridas had been expensive and unprofitable, not having 
been undertaken at the proper season; and I confess I 
thought more of my family than of what the gentleman said 
to me. However, we reached his counting-house, where I 
met with Major Le Conte, of the United States’ army, with 
whom I was previously acquainted. Our conversation 


THE MERCHANT OF SAVANNAH 239 


turned on the difficulties which authors have to encounter 
even in their own country. I observed that the merchant 
was extremely attentive, and at length seemed uneasy. He 
rose from his seat, spoke to his clerk, and sat down again. 
The Major took his leave, and I was about to follow him, 
when the merchant addressing himself to me, said he could 
not conceive why the arts and sciences should not be en- 
couraged by men of wealth in our country. The clerk now 
returned, and handed him some papers, which he transferred 
to me, saying, “I subscribe to your work; here is the price 
of the first volume ; come with me, I know you now, and I will 
procure you some others; every one of us is bound to you 
for the knowledge you bring to us of things, which, without 
your zeal and enterprise, might probably never have reached 
us. I will now make it my duty to serve you, and will be 
your agent in this city. Come along.” 

“Thus, poor Audubon, art thou alternately transported 
from a cold to a warm climate, from one mood to another, 
desponding this morning, and now buoyant with the hopes 
inspired by this generous merchant!” Such, reader, were 
the thoughts that filled my mind, along with many others; 
for I thought of you also, and of my work then going on in 
England, under the care of my excellent friend J. G. Chil- 
dren, Esq., of the British Museum. ‘The merchant took me 
back to the hotel, when he desired me to open the few draw- 
ings I had with me, and lay them, as I usually do, on the 
floor. He then went off in search of subscribers. I re- 
ceived three visits from the worthy soul, on each of which 
he was accompanied by a gentleman, of whom two sub- 
scribed, the merchant himself paying me the price of a copy 
of my first volume for each of them. Others who he thought 
might have met my wishes in the same agreeable way, were 
absent from town. The time of my departure having ar- 
rived, he accompanied me to the ferry-boat, when I bade him 
adieu with feelings of gratitude which I found it utterly 
impossible to express, | 


240 THE MERCHANT OF SAVANNAH 


Travelling through the woods, already rendered delight- 
fully fragrant, by the clusters of yellow jessamines that bor- 
dered them, I arrived in safety at Charleston, where I had 
the happiness of finding all my friends well. The next mail 
brought me a remittance from Savannah, and an additional 
name to my list of subscribers; and before the week was 
ended, two checks on the Branch Bank of the United States 
came to me with two more names. 

Leaving Charleston some time after, I re-visited the 
Tloridas, crossed the whole of the Union, went to Labrador, 
and in October, 1833, returned to my starting place, when I 
wrote to my generous friend at Savannah, announcing to 
him my intention of sailing for Europe. By return of post, 
I received the following answer:—“‘Three of your sub- 
scribers are now, alas! dead; but I had taken the precaution 
to insure the continuation of their subscription for your 
works. I have called on their executors, who at once have 
paid over to me their respective amounts for the second vol- 
ume of the ‘Birds of America;’ and I now feel great pleasure 
in enclosing to you a bill for the whole amount, including 
mine for the same volume, payable in London at par.” 

Some weeks ago I had the pleasure of forwarding the vol- 
umes wanted at Savannah, which I hope have reached their 
destination in safety ; and here let me express my gratitude 
towards the generous merchant, who, on being made aware 
of the difficulties which men have to encounter whose success 
in their pursuits tends to excite the malevolent feelings of 
their competitors, nobly resolved to exert himself in the cause 
of science. I trust he will not consider it improper in me 
to inform you, that on inquiring at Savannah for William 
Gaston, Esq., you will readily find him. 


KENTUCKY BARBECUE ON THE FOURTH 
OF JULY 


Brarcrass Creex, which is one of the many beautiful 
streams of the highly cultivated and happy State of Ken- 
tucky, meanders through a deeply shaded growth of majestic 
beech woods, in which are interspersed various species of 
walnut, oak, elm, ash, and other trees, extending on either 
side of its course. The spot on which I witnessed the 
celebration of an anniversary of the glorious Proclamation 
of our Independence is situated on its banks, near the city 
of Louisville. ‘The woods spread their dense tufts towards 
the shores of the fair Ohio on the west, and over the gently 
rising grounds to the south and east. Every open spot 
forming a plantation was smiling in the luxuriance of a 
summer harvest. The farmer seemed to stand in admiration 
of the spectacle: the trees of his orchards bowed their 
branches, as if anxious to restore to their mother earth the 
fruit with which they were laden; the flocks leisurely 
ruminated as they lay on their grassy beds; and the genial 
warmth of the season seemed inclined to favour their repose. 

The free, single-hearted Kentuckian, bold, erect, and 
proud of his Virginian descent, had, as usual, made arrange- 
ments for celebrating the day of his country’s Independence. 
The whole neighbourhood joined with one consent. No 
personal invitation was required where every one was wel- 
comed by his neighbour, and from the governor to the 
guider of the plough all met with light hearts and merry 
faces. : 

It was indeed a beautiful day; the bright sun rode in 
the clear blue heavens; the gentle breezes wafted around the 
odours of the gorgeous flowers; the little birds sang their 


sweetest songs in the woods, and the fluttering insects 
241 


242 BARBECUE ON FOURTH OF JULY 


danced in the sunbeams. Columbia’s sons and daughters 
seemed to have grown younger that morning. For a whole 
week or more, many servants and some masters had been 
busily engaged in clearing an area. The undergrowth had 
been carefully cut down, the low boughs lopped off, and 
the grass alone, verdant and gay, remained to carpet the 
sylvan pavilion. Now the waggons were seen slowly moving 
along under their load of provisions, which had been pre- 
pared for the common benefit. Each denizen had freely 
given his ox, his ham, his venison, his turkeys, and other 
fowls. Here were to be seen flagons of every beverage used in 
the country ; “La belle Riviére” had opened her finny stores ; 
the melons of all sorts, peaches, plums and pears, would 
have sufficed to stock a market. In a word, Kentucky, the 
land of abundance, had supplied a feast for her children. 

A purling stream gave its water freely, while the grateful 
breezes cooled the air. Columns of smoke from the newly 
kindled fires rose above the trees; fifty cooks or more moved 
to and fro as they plied their trade; waiters of all qualities 
were disposing the dishes, the glasses, and the punch-bowls, 
amid vases filled with rich wines. “Old Monongahela” 
filled many a barrel for the crowd. And now, the roasted 
viands perfume the air, and all appearances conspire to 
predict the speedy commencement of a banquet such as 
may suit the vigorous appetite of American woodsmen. 
Every steward is at his post, ready to receive the joyous 
groups that at this moment begin to emerge from the dark 
recesses of the woods. 

Each comely fair one, clad in pure white, is seen advanc- 
ing under the protection of her sturdy lover, the neighing 
of their prancing steeds proclaiming how proud they are of 
their burdens. ‘The youthful riders leap from their seats, 
and the horses are speedily secured by twisting their bridles 
round a branch. As the youth of Kentucky lightly and 
gaily advanced towards the Barbecue, they resembled a 
procession of nymphs and disguised divinities. Fathers and 


BARBECUE ON FOURTH OF JULY. 243 


mothers smiled upon them, as they followed the brilliant 
cortege. Ina short time the ground was alive with merri- 
ment. A great wooden cannon, bound with iron hoops, was 
now crammed with home-made powder; fire was conveyed 
to it by means of a train, and as the explosion burst forth, 
thousands of hearty huzzas mingled with its echoes. From 
the most learned a good oration fell in proud and gladden- 
ing words on every ear, and although it probably did not 
equal the eloquence of a Clay, an Everett, a Webster, or a 
Preston, it served to remind every Kentuckian present of 
the glorious name, the patriotism, the courage, and the 
virtue, of our immortal Washington. Fifes and drums 
sounded the march which had ever led him to glory; and as 
they changed to our celebrated “Yankee Doodle,” the air 
agiain rang with acclamations. 

Now the stewards invited the assembled throng to the feast. 
The fair led the van, and were first placed around the tables, 
which groaned under the profusion of the best productions 
of the country that had been heaped upon them. On each 
lovely nymph attended her gay beau, who in her chance or 
sidelong glances ever watched an opportunity of reading 
his happiness. How the viands diminished under the action 
of so many agents of destruction I need not say, nor is it 
neccessary that you should listen to the long recital. 
Many a national toast was offered and accepted, many 
speeches were delivered, and many essayed in amicable reply. 
The ladies then retired to booths that had been erected at a 
little distance, to which they were conducted by their part- 
ners, who returned to the table, and having thus cleared 
for action, recommenced a series of hearty rounds. How- 
ever, as Kentuckians are neither slow nor long at their 
meals, all were in a few minutes replenished, and after a 
few more draughts from the bowl, they rejoined the ladies, 
and prepared for the dance. 

Double lines of a hundred fair ones extended along the 
ground in the most shady part of the woods, while here and 


244 BARBECUE ON FOURTH OF JULY 


there smaller groups awaited the merry trills of reels and 
cotillons. A burst of music from violins, clarionets, and 
bugles, gave the welcome notice, and presently the whole 
assemblage seemed to be gracefully moving through the 
air. The “hunting-shirts” now joined in the dance, their 
fringed skirts keeping time with the gowns of the ladies, 
and the married people of either sex stepped in and mixed 
with their children. Every countenance beamed with joy, 
every heart leaped with gladness; no pride, no pomp, no 
affectation, were there; their spirits brightened as they con- 
tinued their exhilarating exercise, and care and sorrow were 
flung to the winds. During each interval of rest, refresh- 
ments of all sorts were handed round, and while the fair one 
cooled her lips with the grateful juice of the melon, the hunter 
of Kentucky quenched his thirst with ample draughts of 
well-tempered punch. 

I know, reader, that had you been with me on that day, 
you would have richly enjoyed the sight of this national 
féte champétre. You would have listened with pleasure to 
the ingenious tale of the lover, the wise talk of the elder on 
the affairs of the state, the accounts of improvement in stock 
and utensils, and the hopes of continued prosperity to the 
country at large, and to Kentucky in particular. You 
would have been pleased to see those who did not join the 
dance, shooting at distant marks with their heavy rifles, or 
watched how they shewed off the superior speed of their 
high bred “old Virginia” horses, while others recounted their 
hunting-exploits, and at intervals made the woods ring with 
their bursts of laughter. With me the time sped like an 
arrow in its flight, and although more than twenty years 
have elapsed since I joined a Kentucky Barbecue, my — 
spirit is refreshed every 4th of July by the recollection of 
that day’s merriment. 

But now the sun has declined, and the shades of evening 
creep over the scene. Large fires are lighted in the woods, 
casting the long shadows of the living columns far along 


BARBECUE ON FOURTH OF JULY Q45 


the trodden ground, and flaring on the happy groups, loath 
to separate. In the still clear sky, began to sparkle the 
distant lamps of heaven. One might have thought that 
Nature herself smiled on the joy of her children. Supper 
now appeared on the tables, and after all had again refreshed 
themselves, preparations were made for departure. The 
lover hurried for the steed of his fair one, the hunter 
seized the arm of his friend, families gathered into loving 
groups, and all returned in peace to their happy homes. 

And now, Reader, allow me also to take my leave and 
wish you good night, trusting that when I again appear 
with another volume, you will be ready to welcome me with 
a cordial greeting. 


THE AMERICAN SUN PERCH 


Few of our smaller fresh-water fishes excel either in beauty 
or in delicacy and flavour the species which I have chosen as 
the subject of this article, and few afford more pleasure to 
young fishers. Although it occurs in all our streams, 
whether rapid or gentle, small or large, in the mill-dam 
overshadowed by tall forest-trees, or in the open lake 
margined with reeds, you must never expect to find it in 
impure waters. Let the place be deep or shallow, broad or 
narrow, the water must be clear enough to allow the sun’s 
rays to fall unimpaired on the rich coat of mail that covers 
the body of the Sun-fish. Look at him as he poises himself 
under the lee of the protecting rock beneath our feet! See 
how steadily he maintains his position, and yet how many 
rapid motions of his fins are necessary to preserve it! Now 
another is by his side, glowing with equal beauty, and poising 
itself by equally easy and graceful movements. ‘The sun is 
shining, and under the lee of every stone and sunk log, some 
of the little creatures are rising to the surface, to enjoy 
the bright blaze, which enhances all their beauty. The 
golden hues of some parts of the body blend with the green 
of the emerald, while the coral tints of the lower parts and 
the red of its sparkling eye, render our little favourite a 
perfect gem of the waters. 

The rushing stream boils and gurgles as it forces its way 
over the obstacles presented by its bed, the craggy points, 
large stones, and logs that are strewn along the bottom. 
Every one of these proves a place of rest, safety and observa- 
tion to the little things, whose eyes are ever anxiously watch- 
ing their favourite prey as it passes. There an unfortu- 
nate moth, swept along by the current, labours in vain to 


extricate itself from the treacherous element; its body, in- 
246 


THE AMERICAN SUN PERCH Q47 


deed, at intervals, rises a little above the surface, but its 
broad wings, now wet and heavy, bear it down again to the 
water. ‘The Sun-fish has marked it, and as it passes his 
retreat, he darts towards it, with twenty of his fellows, all 
eager to seize the prize. The swiftest swallows it in a mo- 
ment, and all immediately return to their lurking places, 
where they fancy themselves secure. But, alas, the Sun-fish 
is no more without enemies than the moth, or any other living 
creature. So has Nature determined, evidently to promote 
prudence and industry, without which none can reap the 
full advantage of life. 

On the top of yon miller’s dam stands boldy erect the 
ardent fisher. Up to the knees, and regardless of the danger 
of his situation, he prepares his apparatus of destruction. 
A keen hook attached to his grass-line is now hid within the 
body of a worm or grasshopper. With a knowing eye he 
marks one after another every surge of the water below. 
Observing the top of a rock scarcely covered, he sends his 
hook towards it with gentleness and certainty; the bait now 
floats and anon sinks; his reel slowly lengthens the line, 
which is suddenly tightened, and he feels that a fish is 
secured. Now whirls the reel again, thrice has the fish 
tried its utmost strength and speed, but, soon panting and 
exhausted, it is seen floating for a moment on the surface. 
Nothing now is required but to bring it to hand, which done, 
the angler baits anew, and sends forth the treacherous 
morsel. For an hour or more he continues the agreeable 
occupation, drawing from the stream a fish at every short 
interval. T'o the willow-twig fastened to his waist, a hundred 
“sunnies” are already attached. Suddenly the sky is over- 
cast, and the crafty fisher, although aware that, with a 
different hook and bait, he might soon procure a fine eel or 
two, carefully wades to the shore, and homeward leisurely 
plods his way. 

In this manner are the sun-fishes caught by the regular 
or “scientific” anglers, and a beautiful sight it is to see the 


248 THE AMERICAN SUN PERCH 


ease and grace with which they allure the objects of their 
desire, whether in the open turbulence of the waters, or 
under the low boughs of the overhanging trees, where, in 
some deep hole, a swarm of the little creatures may be play- 
ing in fancied security. Rarely does his tackle become en- 
tangled, whilst, with incomparable dexterity, he draws one 
after another from the waters. 

Thousands of individuals, however, there are, who, less 
curlous in their mode of fishing, often procure as many 
sunnies without allowing them to play a moment. Look 
at these boys! One stands on the shore, while the others 
are on fallen trees that project over the stream. ‘Their 
rods, as you perceive, are merely shoots of the hazel or 
hickory, their lines are simply twine, and their hooks none 
of the finest. One has a calabash filled with worms and 
grubs of many sorts, kept alive in damp earth, and another 
is supplied with a bottle containing half a gross of live 
“hoppers”; the third has no bait at all, but borrows from 
his nearest neighbour. Well, there they are, “three merry 
boys,” whirling their rods in the air to unroll their lines, on 
one of which, you observe, a cork is fastened, while on 
another is a bit of light wood, and on the third a grain or 
two of large shot, to draw it at once to a certain depth. 
Now their hooks are baited, and all are ready. Each 
casts his line as he thinks best, after he has probed the 
depth of the stream with his rod, to enable him to place his 
buoy at the proper point. Bob, bob, goes the cork; down it 
moves; the bit of wood disappears; the leaded line tightens ; 
in a moment up swing the sunnies, which, getting unhooked, 
are projected far among the grass, where they struggle in 
vain, until death ends their efforts. The hooks are now 
baited anew, and dropped into the water. The fish is 
abundant, the weather propitious and delightful, for it is 
now October, and so greedy have the sunnies become of 
grasshoppers and grubs, that dozens at once dash at the 
same bait. ‘The lads, believe me, have now rare sport, and 


THE AMERICAN SUN PERCH 249 


in an hour scarcely a fish remains in the hole. The happy 
children have caught perhaps some hundreds of delicious 
“pan-fish,” to feed their parents, and delight their little 
sisters. Surely their pleasure is fully as great as that 
experienced by the scientific angler. | 

I have known instances when the waters of a dam having 
been let out, for some reason better known to the miller than 
to myself, all the sun-fish have betaken themselves to one or 
_two deep holes, as if to avoid being carried away from 
their favourite abode. There I have seen them in such 
multitudes that one could catch as many as he pleased with a 
pinhook, fastened to any sort of line, and baited with any 
sort of worm or insect, or even with a piece of a newly caught 
fish. Yet, and I am not able to account for it, all of a 
sudden, without apparent cause, they would cease to take, 
and no allurement whatever could entice them or the other 
fishes in the pool to seize the hook. 

During high freshets, this species of perch seldom bites at 
any thing, but you may procure them with a cast-net or a 
seine, provided you are well acquainted with the localities. 
On the contrary, when the waters are low and clear, every 
secluded hole, every eddy under the lee of a rock, every place 
sheltered by a raft of timber, will afford you amusement. 
In some parts of the Southern States, the Negroes procure 
these fishes late in the autumn in shallow ponds or bayous, by 
wading through the water with caution, and placing at every 
few steps a wicker apparatus, not unlike a small barrel, open 
at both ends. The moment the fishes find themselves con- 
fined within the lower part of this, which is pressed to the 
bottom of the stream, their skippings announce their cap- 
ture, and the fisher secures his booty. 

This species, the Labrus auritus of Linneus, the Pomotis 
vulgaris of Cuvier, seldom exceeds five or six inches in length, 
but is rather deep in proportion. ‘The usual size is from 
four to five inches, with a depth of from two to two and a 
half. They are not bony, and at all seasons afford delicate 


250 THE AMERICAN SUN PERCH 


eating. Having observed a considerable change in their 
colour in different parts of the United States, and in different 
streams, ponds, or lakes, I was led to think that this curious 
effect might be produced by the difference of colour in the 
water. Thus, the Sun-fish caught in the deep waters of 
Green River, in Kentucky, exhibit a depth of olive-brown 
quite different from the general tint of those caught in the 
colourless waters of the Ohio or Schuylkill; those of the 
reddish-coloured waters of the Bayous of the Louisiana 
swamps, look as if covered with a coppery tarnish; and, 
lastly, those met with in streams that glide beneath cedars 
or other firs, have a pale and sallow complexion. 

The Sun Perch, wherever found, seems to give a decided 
preference to sandy, gravelly, or rocky beds of streams, 
avoiding those of which the bottom is muddy. At the period 
of depositing their eggs, this preference is still more ap- 
parent. The little creature is then seen swimming rapidly 
over shallows, the bed of which is mostly formed of fine 
gravel, when after a while it is observed to poise itself and 
and gradually sink to the bottom, where with its fin it pushes 
aside the sand to the extent of eight or ten inches, thus 
forming a circular cavity. In a few days a little ridge is 
thus raised around, and in the cleared area the roe is de- 
posited. By wading carefully over the extent of the place, 
a person may count forty, fifty, or more of these beds, some 
within a few feet of each other, and some several yards apart. 
Instead of abandoning its spawn, as others of the family are 
wont to do, this little fish keeps guard over it with all the care 
of a sitting bird. You observe it poised over the bed, watch- 
ing the objects around. Should the rotten leaf of a tree, a 
piece of wood, or any other substance, happen to be rolled 
over the border of the bed, the Sun-fish carefully removes 
it, holding the obnoxious matter in its mouth, and dropping 
it over the margin. Having many times witnessed this act 
of prudence and cleanliness in the little sunny, and observed 
that at this period it will not seize on any kind of bait, I 


THE AMERICAN SUN PERCH 251 


took it into my head one fair afternoon to make a few ex- 
periments for the purpose of judging how far its instinct or 
reason might induce it to act when disturbed or harassed. 

Provided with a fine fishing-line, and such insects as I 
knew were relished by this fish, I reached a sand-bar covered 
by about one foot of water, where I had previously seen 
many deposits. Approaching the nearest to the shore with 
great care, I baited my hook with a living ground-worm, the 
greatest part of which was left at liberty to writhe as it 
pleased, and throwing the line up the stream, managed it so 
that at last it passed over the border of the nest, when I 
allowed it to remain on the bottom. The fish, I perceived, 
had marked me, and as the worm intruded on its premises, 
he swam to the farther side, there poised himself for a few 
moments, then approached the worm, and carried it in his 
mouth over the side next to me, with a care and gentleness 
so very remarkable as to afford me much surprise. I re- 
peated the experiment six or seven times, and always with 
the same result. Then changing the bait, I employed a 
young grasshopper, which I floated into the egg-bed. The 
insect was removed, as the worm had been, and two attempts 
to hook the fish proved unsuccessful. I now threw my line 
with the hook bare, and managed as before. The sunny 
appeared quite alarmed. It swam to one side, then to an- 
other, in rapid succession, and seemed to entertain a fear 
that the removal of the suspicious object might prove ex- 
tremely dangerous to it. Yet it gradually approached the 
hook, took it delicately up, and the next instant dropped 
it over the edge of the bed! 

Reader, if you are one who, like me, have studied Nature 
with a desire to improve your mental faculties, and contem- 
plate the wonderful phenomena that present themselves to 
the view at every step we take in her wide domain, you 
would have been struck, had you witnessed the action of 
this little fish, as I was, with admiration of the Being who 
gave such instincts to so humble an object. I gazed in 


252 THE AMERICAN SUN PERCH 


amazement on the little creature, and wondered that nature 
had endowed it with such feelings and powers. ‘The irre- 
pressible desire of acquiring knowledge prompted me to 
continue the experiment; but with whatever dexterity I could 
in those days hook a fish, all my efforts proved abortive, not 
with this individual only, but with many others, which I 
subjected to the same trials. 

Satisfied that at this period the Sun-fish was more than 
a match for me, I rolled up my line, and with the rod gave 
a rap on the water as nearly over the fish as I could. The 
sunny darted off to a distance of several yards, poised itself 
steadily, and as soon as my rod was raised from the water, 
returned to its station. The effect of the blow on the water 
was now apparent, for I perceived that the fish was busily 
employed in smoothing the bed; but here ended my experi- 
ments on the Sun-fish. 


THE EGGERS OF LABRADOR 


Tue distinctive appellation of Eggers is given to certain 
persons who follow, principally or exclusively, the avocation 
of procuring the eggs of wild birds, with the view of dispos- 
ing of them at some distant port. Their great object is to 
plunder every nest, whenever they can find it, no matter 
where, or at whatever risk. ‘They are the pest of the 
feathered tribes, and their brutal propensity to destroy the 
poor creatures after they have robbed them, is abundantly 
gratified whenever an opportunity presents itself. 

Much has been said to me respecting these destructive 
pirates before I visited the coast of Labrador, but I could 
not entirely credit all their cruelties until I had actually 
witnessed their proceedings, which were such as to inspire 
no small degree of horror. But you shall judge for your- 
self. 

See yon shallop shyly sailing along’;—she sneaks like a 
thief, wishing as it were to shun the very light of heaven. 
Under the lee of every rocky isle some one at the tiller steers 
her course. Were his trade an honest one, he would not 
think of hiding his back behind the terrific rocks that seem to 
have been placed there as a resort to the myriads of birds 
that annually visit this desolate region of the earth, for the 
purpose of rearing their young, at a distance from all 
disturbers of their peace. How unlike the open, the bold, 
the honest mariner, whose face needs no mark, who scorns 
to skulk under any circumstances! ‘The vessel herself is a 
shabby thing:—her sails are patched with stolen pieces 
of better canvas, the owners of which have probably been 
stranded on some inhospitable coast, and have been plun- 


dered, perhaps murdered, by the wretches before us. Look 
3 253 


254 THE EGGERS OF LABRADOR 


at her again!— Her sides are neither painted, nor even 
pitched; no—they are daubed over, plastered and patched 
with strips of seal-skins, laid along the seams. Her deck 
has never been washed or sanded, her hold—for no cabin has 
she,—though at present empty sends forth an odour pesti- 
Jential as that of a charnel-house. The crew, eight in num- 
ber, lie sleeping at the foot of their tottering mast, regardless 
of the repairs needed in every part of her rigging. But see! 
she scuds along, and as I suspect her crew to be bent on the 
commission of some evil deed, let us follow her to the first 
harbour. 

There rides the filthy thing! The afternoon is half over. 
Her crew have thrown their boat overboard; they enter and 
seat themselves, each with a rusty gun. One of them skulls 
the skiff towards an island for a century past the breeding 
place of myriads of Guillemots, which are now to be laid 
under contribution. At the approach of the vile thieves, 
clouds of birds rise from the rock and fill the air around, 
wheeling and screaming over their enemies. Yet thousands 
remain in an erect posture, each covering its single egg, the 
hope of both parents. The reports of several muskets loaded 
with heavy shot are now heard while several dead and 
wounded birds fall heavily on the rock or into the water. 
Instantly all the sitting birds rise and fly off affrighted to 
their companions above, and hover in dismay over their as- 
sassins who walk forward exultingly, and with their shouts 
mingling oaths and execrations. Look at them! See how 
they crush the chick within its shell, how they trample on 
every egg in their way with their huge and clumsy boots. 
Onward they go, and when they leave the isle, not an egg 
that they can find is left entire. ‘The dead birds they collect 
and carry to their boat. Now they have regained their 
filthy shallop; they strip the birds by a single jerk of their 
feathery apparel, while the flesh is yet warm, and throw them 
on some coals, where in a short time they are broiled. The 
rum is produced when the guillemots are fit for eating, and 


THE EGGERS OF LABRADOR 255 


after stuffing themselves with this oily fare, and enjoying 
the pleasure of beastly intoxication, over they tumble on the 
deck of their crazed craft, where they pass the short hours 
of night in turbid slumber. 

The sun now rises above the snow-clad summit of the east- 
ern mount. “Sweet is the breath of morn” even in this 
desolate land. The gay Bunting erects his white crest, and 
gives utterances to the joy he feels in the presence of his 
brooding mate. ‘The Willow Grous on the rock crows his 
challenge aloud. Each floweret, chilled by the night air, ex- 
pands its pure petals; the gentle breeze shakes from the 
blades of grass the heavy dewdrops. On the Guillemot Isle 
the birds have again settled, and now renew their loves. 
Startled by the light of day, one of the Eggers springs on 
his feet and rouses his companions, who stare around them 
for a while, endeavouring to recollect their senses. Mark 
them, as with clumsy fingers they clear their drowsy eyes! 
Slowly they rise on their feet. See how the filthy lubbers 
stretch out their arms and yawn; you shrink back, for verily 
“that throat might frighten a shark.” 

But the master, soon recollecting that so many eggs are 
worth a dollar or a crown, casts his eye towards the rock, 
marks the day in his memory, and gives orders to depart. 
The light breeze enables them to reach another harbour a few 
miles distant, one which, like the last, lies concealed from the 
ocean by some other rock isle. Arrived there, they re-act the 
scene of yesterday, crushing every egg they can find. For 
a week each night is passed in drunkenness and brawls, until, 
having reached the last breeding place on the coast, they 
return, touch at every isle in succession, shoot as many birds 
as they need, collect the fresh eggs, and lay ina cargo. At 
every step each ruffian picks up an egg so beautiful that 
any man with a feeling heart would pause to consider the 
motive which could induce him to carry it off. But nothing 
of this sort occurs to the Egger, who gathers and gathers, 
until he has swept the rock bare. The dollars alone chink 


256 THE EGGERS OF LABRADOR 


in his sordid mind, and he assiduously plies the trade which 
no man would ply who had the talents and industry to pro- 
cure subsistence by honourable means. 

With a bark nearly half filled with fresh eggs they proceed 
to the principal rock, that on which they first landed. But 
what is their surprise when they find others there helping 
themselves as industriously as they can! In boiling rage 
they charge their guns, and ply their oars. Landing on the 
rock, they run up to the Eggers, who, like themselves, are 
desperadoes. ‘The first question is a discharge of musketry, 
the answer another. Now, man to man, they fight like 
tigers. One is carried to his boat with a fractured skull, 
another limps with a shot in his leg, and a third feels how 
many of his teeth have been driven through the hole in his 
cheek. At last, however, the quarrel is settled; the booty 
is to be equally divided; and now see them all drinking to- 
gether. Oaths and curses and filthy jokes are all that you 
hear; but see, stuffed with food, and reeling with drink, 
down they drop one by one; groans and execrations from 
the wounded mingle with the snorings of the heavy sleepers. 
There let the brutes lie. 

Again it is dawn, but no one stirs. ‘The sun is high; one 
by one they open their heavy eyes, stretch their limbs, yawn, 
and raise themselves from the deck. But see, here comes a 
goodly company. A hundred honest fishermen, who for 
months past have fed on salt meat, have felt a desire to pro-. 
cure some eggs. Gallantly their boats advance, impelled by 
the regular pull of their long oars. Each buoyant bark dis- 
plays the flag of its nation. No weapons do they bring, nor 
any thing that can be used as such save their oars and fists. 
Cleanly clad in Sunday attire, they arrive at the desired 
spot, and at once prepare to ascend the rock. ‘The Eggers, 
now numbering a dozen, all armed with guns and bludgeons, 
bid defiance to the fishermen. A few angry words pass be- 
tween the parties. One of the Eggers, still under the in- 
fluence of drink, pulls his trigger, and an unfortunate sailor. 


THE EGGERS OF LABRADOR Q57 


is seen to reel in agony. Three loud cheers fill the air. All 
at once rush on the malefactors; a horrid fight ensues, the 
result of which is, that every Egger is left on the rock beaten 
and bruised. ‘Too frequently the fishermen man their boats, 
row to the shallops, and break every egg in the hold. 

The Eggers of Labrador not only rob the birds in this 
cruel manner, but also the fishermen, whenever they can find 
an opportunity; and the quarrels they excite are number- 
less. While we were on the coast, none of our party ever 
ventured on any of the islands which these wretches call their 
own, without being well provided with means of defence. On 
one occasion, when I was present, we found two Eggers at 
their work of destruction. I spoke to them respecting my 
visit, and offered them premiums for rare birds and some of 
their eggs; but although they made fair promises, not one 
of the gang ever came near the Ripley. 

These people gather all the eider down they can find; yet 
so inconsiderate are they, that they kill every bird that comes 
in their way. ‘The eggs of Gulls, Guillemots, and Ducks 
are searched for with care; and the Puffins and some other 
birds they massacre in vast numbers for the sake of their 
feathers. So constant and persevering are their depreda- 
tions, that these species, which, according to the accounts 
of the few settlers I saw in the country, were exceedingly 
abundant twenty years ago, have abandoned their ancient 
breeding places, and removed much farther north in search 
of peaceful security. Scarcely, in fact, could I procure a 
young Guillemot before the Eggers had left the coast, nor 
was it until late in July that I succeeded, after the birds 
had laid three or four eggs each, instead of one, and when 
nature having been exhausted, and the season nearly spent, 
thousands of these birds left the country without having ac- 
complished the purpose for which they had visited it. This 
war of extermination cannot last many years more. The 
Eggers themselves will be the first to repent the entire dis- 
appearance of the myriads of birds that made the coast of 


258 THE EGGERS OF LABRADOR 


Labrador their summer residence, and unless they follow the 
persecuted tribes to the northward, they must renounce their 
trade. 

Had not the British Government long since passed strict 
laws against these ruthless and worthless vagabonds, and 
laid a heavy penalty on all of them that might be caught in 
the act of landing their mettre) in Newfoundland or Nova 
Scotia, I might 





FISHING IN THE OHIO 


Ir is with mingled feelings of pleasure and regret that I re- 
call to my mind the many pleasant days I have spent on the 
shores of the Ohio. ‘The visions of former years crowd on 
my view, as I picture to myself the fertile soil and genial 
atmosphere of our great western garden, Kentucky, and view 
the placid waters of the fair stream that flows along its 
western boundary. Methinks I am now on the banks of the 
noble river. ‘Twenty years of my life have returned to me; 
my sinews are strong, and the “bowstring of my spirit is not 
slack ;” bright visions of the future float before me, as I sit 
on a grassy bank, gazing on the glittering waters. Around 
me are dense forests of lofty trees and thickly tangled un- 
dergrowth, amid which are heard the songs of feathered 
choristers, and from whose boughs hang clusters of glowing 
fruits and beautiful flowers. Reader, I am very happy. 
But now the dream has vanished, and here I am in the British 
Athens, penning an episode for my Ornithological Biog- 
graphy, and having before me sundry well-thumbed and 
weather-beaten folios, from which I expect to be able to ex- 
tract some interesting particulars respecting the methods 
employed in those days in catching Cat-fish. | 

But, before entering on my subject, I will present you with 
a brief description of the place of my residence on the banks 
of the Ohio. When I first landed at Henderson in Kentucky, 
my family, like the village, was quite small. The latter 
consisted of six or eight houses; the former of my wife, 
myself, and a young child. Few as the houses were, we 
fortunately found one empty. It was a log-cabin, not a 
log-house; but as better could not be had, we were pleased. 


Well, then, we were located. The country around was thinly 
259 


260 FISHING IN THE OHIO 


peopled, and all purchasable provisions rather scarce; but 
our neighbours were friendly, and we had brought with us 
flour and bacon-hams. Our pleasures were those of young 
people not long married, and full of life and merriment; a 
single smile from our infant was, I assure you, more valued 
by us than all the treasures of a modern Creesus would have 
been. The woods were amply stocked with game, the river 
with fish; and now and then the hoarded sweets of the indus- 
trious bees were brought from some hollow tree to our little 
table. Our child’s cradle was our richest piece of furniture, 
our guns and fishing-lines our most serviceable implements, 
for although we began to cultivate a garden, the rankness of 
the soil kept the seeds we planted far beneath the tall weeds 
that sprung up the first year. I had then a partner, a “man 
of business,” and there was also with me a Kentucky youth, 
who much preferred the sports of the forest and river to 
either day-book or ledger. He was naturally, as I may say, 
a good woodsman, hunter, and angler, and, like me, thought 
chiefly of procuring supplies of fish and fowl. ‘To the task 
accordingly we directed all our energies. 

Quantity as well as quality was an object with us, and 
although we well knew that three species of Cat-fish existed 
in the Ohio, and that all were sufficiently good, we were not 
sure as to the best method of securing them. We deter- 
mined, however, to work on a large scale, and immediately 
commenced making a famous “‘trot-line.” Now, reader, 
as you may probably know nothing about this engine, I shall 
describe it to you. : 

A trot-line is one of considerable length and thickness, 
both qualities, however, varying according to the extent of 
water, and the size of the fish you expect to catch. As the 
Ohio, at Henderson, is rather more than half a mile in 
breadth, and as Cat-fishes weigh from one to an hundred 
pounds, we manufactured a line which measured about two 
hundred yards in length, as thick as the little finger of some 
fair one yet in her teens, and as white as the damsel’s finger 


FISHING IN THE OHIO 261 


well could be, for it was wholly of Kentucky cotton, just, 
let me tell you, because that substance stands the water 
better than either hemp or flax. The main line finished, we 
made a hundred smaller ones, about five feet in length, to 
each of which we fastened a capital hook of Kirby and Co.’s 
manufacture. Now for the bait! 

It was the month of May. Nature had brought abroad 
myriads of living beings: they covered the earth, glided 
through the water, and swarmed in the air. The Cat-fish 
is a voracious creature, not at all nice in feeding, but one 
who, like the vulture, contents himself with carrion when 
nothing better can be had. <A few experiments proved to 
us that, of the dainties with which we tried to allure them 
to our hooks, they gave a decided preference, at that season, 
to live toads. 'These animals were very abundant about 
Henderson. They ramble or feed, whether by instinct or 
reason, during early or late twilight more than at any other 
time, especially after a shower, and are unable to bear the 
heat of the sun’s rays for several hours before and after noon. 
We have a good number of these crawling things in America, 
particularly in the western and southern parts of the Union, 
and are very well supplied with frogs, snakes, lizards, and 
even crocodiles, which we call alligators; but there is enough 
of food for them all, and we generally suffer them to creep 
about, to leap or to flounder as they please, or in accordance 
with the habits which have been given them by the great 
Conductor of all. 

During the month of May, and indeed until autumn, we 
found an abundant supply of toads. Many “fine ladies,” 
no doubt, would have swooned, or at least screamed and gone 
into hysterics, had they seen one of our baskets filled with 
these animals, all alive and plump. Fortunately we had no 
tragedy queen or sentimental spinster at Henderson. Our 
Kentucky ladies mind their own affairs, and seldom meddle 
with those of others farther than to do all they can for their 
comfort. The toads, collected one by one, and brought 


262 FISHING IN THE OHIO 


home in baskets, were deposited in a barrel for use. And 
now that night is over, and as it is the first trial we are 
going to give our trot-line, just watch our movements from 
that high bank beside the stream. There sit down under 
the large cotton-wood tree. You are in no danger of catch- 
ing cold at this season. 

My assistant follows me with a gaff hook, while I carry 
the paddle of our canoe; a boy bears on his back a hundred 
toads as good as ever hopped. Our line—oh, I forgot to in- 
form you that we had set it last night, but without the small 
ones you now see on my arm. Fastening one end to yon 
sycamore, we paddled our canoe, with the rest nicely coiled 
in the stern, and soon reached its extremity, when I threw 
over the side the heavy stone fastened to it as a sinker. All 
this was done that it might be thoroughly soaked, and with- 
out kinks or snarls in the morning. Now, you observe, we 
launch our light bark, the toads in the basket are placed next 
to my feet in the bow; I have the small lines across my knees 
all ready looped at the end. Nat, with the paddle, and as- 
sisted by the current, keeps the stern of our boat directly 
down stream; and David fixes, by the skin of the back and 
hind parts, the living bait to the hook. I hold the main line 
all the while, and now, having fixed one linelet to it, over 
goes the latter. Can you see the poor toad kicking and 
flouncing in the water? ‘‘No”—well, I do. You observe 
at length that all the lines, one after another, have been 
fixed, baited, and dropped. We now return swiftly to the 
shore. 7 

“What a delightful thing is fishing!” have I more than 
once heard some knowing angler exclaim, who, with “the 
patience of Job,” stands or slowly moves along some rivulet 
twenty feet wide, and three or four feet deep, with a sham 
fly to allure a trout, which, when at length caught, weighs 
half a pound. Reader, I never had such patience. Al- 
though I have waited ten years, and yet seen only three- 





FISHING IN THE OHIO 263 


fourths of the Birds of America engraved, although some of 
the drawings of that work were patiently made so long ago 
as 1805, and although I have to wait with patience two 
years more before I see the end of it, I never could hold 
a line or a rod for many minutes, unless I had—not a “‘nib- 
ble,” but a hearty bite, and could throw the fish at once over 
my head on the ground. No, no—if I fish for trout, I 
must soon give up, or catch, as I have done in Pennsylvania’s 
Lehigh, or the streams of Maine, fifty or more in a couple 
of hours. But the trot-line is in the river, and there if may 
patiently wait, until I visit it toward night. Now I take up 
my gun and note-book, and, accompanied by my dog, intend 
to ramble through the woods until breakfast. Who knows 
but I may shoot a turkey or a deer? It is barely four 
o’clock; and see what delightful mornings we have at this 
season in Kentucky! 

Evening has returned. The heavens have already opened 
their twinkling eyes, although the orb of day has yet scarcely 
withdrawn itself from our view. How calm is the air! The 
nocturnal insects and quadrupeds are abroad; the bear is 
moving through the dark cane-brake, the land crows are fly- 
ing towards their roosts, their aquatic brethren towards the 
interior of the forests, the squirrel is barking his adieu, and 
the Barred Owl glides silently and swiftiy from his retreat, 
to seize upon the gay and noisy animal. The boat is pushed 
off from the shore; the main-line is in my hands; now it 
shakes; surely some fish have been hooked. Hand over 
hand I proceed to the first hock. Nothing there! But now 
I feel several jerks stronger and more frequent than before. 
Several hooks I pass; but see, what a fine Cat-fish is twist- 
ing round and round the little line to which he is fast! Nat, 
look to your gaff—hook him close to the tail. Keep it up, 
my dear fellow!—there now, we have him. More are on, 
and we proceed. When we have reached the end many 
goodly fishes are lying in the bottom of our skiff. New bait 


264 FISHING IN THE OHIO 


has been put on, and, as we return, I congratulate myself 
and my companions on the success of our efforts; for there 
lies fish enough for ourselves and our neighbours. 

A trot-line at this period was perfectly safe at Henderson, 
should I have allowed it to remain for weeks at atime. The 
navigation was mostly performed by flat-bottomed boats, 
which during calm nights floated in the middle current of 
the river, so that the people on board could not observe the 
fish that had been hooked. Not a single steamer had as yet 
ever gone down the Ohio; now and then, it is true, a barge 
or a keel-boat was propelled by poles and oars; but the 
nature of the river is such at that place, that these boats 
when ascending were obliged to keep near the Indian shore, 
until above the landing of the village, (below which I always 
fixed my lines), when they pulled across the stream. 

Several species or varieties of Cat-fish are found in the 
Ohio, namely the Blue, the White, and the Mud Cats, which 
differ considerably in their form and colour, as well as in 
their habits. ‘The Mud Cat is the best, although it seldom 
attains so great a size as the rest. The Blue Cat is the 
coarsest, but when not exceeding from four to six pounds, it 
affords tolerable eating. "The White Cat is preferable to 
the last, but not so common; and the Yellow Mud Cat is the 
best and rarest. Of the blue kind some have been caught 
that weighed a hundred pounds. Such fishes, however, are 
locked upon as monsters. 

The form in all the varieties inclines to the conical, the 
head being disproportionately large, while the body tapers 
away to the root of the tail. The eyes, which are small, are 
placed far apart, and situated as it were on the top of the 
forehead, but laterally. Their mouth is wide, and armed 
with numerous small and very sharp teeth, while it is de- 
fended by single-sided spines, which, when the fish is in the 
agonies of death, stand out at right angles, and are so 
firmly fixed as sometimes to break before you can loosen 
them. The Cat-fish has also feelers of proportionate length, 


FISHING IN THE OHIO 265 


apparently intended to guide its motions over the bottom, 
whilst its eyes are watching the objects passing above. 

Trot-lines cannot be used with much success unless during 
the middle stages of the water. When very low, it is too 
clear, and the fish, although extremely voracious, will rarely 
risk its life for a toad. When the waters are rising rapidly, 
your trot-lines are likely to be carried away by one of the 
numerous trees that float in the stream. A “happy medi- 
um” is therefore best. 

When the waters are rising fast and have become muddy, 
a single line is used for catching Cat-fish. It is fastened 
to the elastic branch of some willow several feet above the 
water, and must be twenty or thirty feet in length. The en- 
trails of a Wild Turkey, or a piece of fresh venison, furnish 
good bait; and if, when you visit your line the next morning 
after you have set it, the water has not risen too much, the 
swinging of the willow indicates that a fish has been hooked, 
and you have only to haul the prize ashore. 

One evening I saw that the river was rising at a great 
rate, although it was still within its banks. I knew that the 
White Perch were running, that is, ascending the river froma 
the sea, and, anxious to have a tasting of that fine fish, I 
baited a line with a cray-fish, and fastened it to the bough 
of a tree. Next morning as I pulled in the line, it felt as if 
fast at the bottom, yet on drawing it slowly I found that it 
came. Presently I felt a strong pull, the line slipped 
through my fingers, and next instant a large Cat-fish leaped 
out of the water. I played it for a while, until it became 
exhausted, when I drew it ashore. It had swallowed the 
hook, and I cut off the line close to its head. Then passing 
a stick through one of the gills, I and a servant tugged the 
fish home. On cutting it open, we, to our surprise, found in 
its stomach a fine White Perch, dead, but not in the least 
. Injured. The Perch had been lightly hooked, and the Cat- 
fish, after swallowing it, had been hooked in the stomach, 
so that, although the instrument was small, the torture 


266 FISHING IN THE OHIO 


caused by it no doubt tended to disable the Cat-fish. The 
Perch we ate, and the Cat, which was fine, we divided into 
four parts, and distributed among our neighbours. My 
most worthy friend and relative, Nicholas Berthoud, Esq., 
who formerly resided at Shippingport in Kentucky, but now 
in New York, a better fisher than whom I never knew, once 
placed a trot-line in “the basin” below ‘““T'arascon’s Mills,” 
at the foot of the Rapids of the Ohio. I cannot recollect the 
bait which was used; but on taking up the line we obtained a 
remarkably fine Cat-fish, in which was found the greater 
part of a sucking pig! 

I may here add, that I have introduced a figure of the 
Cat-fish in Plate XX XI. of my first volume of my Illustra- 
tions, in which I have represented the White-headed Eagle. 


THE WRECKERS OF FLORIDA 


Lone before I reached the lovely islets that border the south- 
eastern shores of the Floridas, the accounts I had heard of 
“The Wreckers” had deeply prejudiced me against them. 
Often had I been informed of the cruel and cowardly methods 
which is was alleged they employed to allure vessels of all 
nations to the dreaded reefs, that they might plunder their 
cargoes, and rob their crews and passengers of their effects. 
I therefore could have little desire to meet with such men 
under any circumstances, much less to become liable to re- 
ceive their aid; and with the name of Wreckers, there were 
associated in my mind ideas of piratical depredation, bar- 
barous usage, and even murder. 

One fair afternoon, while I was standing on the polished 
deck of the United States’ revenue cutter the Marion, a sail | 
hove in sight, bearing in an opposite course, and “close- 
hauled” to the wind. The gentle rake of her masts, as she 
rocked to and fro in the breeze, brought to my mind the way- 
ings of the reeds on the fertile banks of the Mississippi. 
By-and-by the vessel altering her course, approached us. 
The Marion, like a sea-bird, with extended wings, swept 
through the waters, gently inclining to either side, while the 
unknown vessel leaped as it were from wave to wave, like the 
dolphin in eager pursuit of his prey. In a short time, we 
were gliding side by side, and the commander of the strange 
schooner saluted our captain, who promptly returned the 
compliment. What a beautiful vessel! we all thought; how 
trim, how clean-rigged, and how well manned! She swims 
like a duck; and now with a broad sheer, off she makes for 
the reefs, a few miles under our lee. There, in that nar- 
row passage, well known to her commander, she rolls, tum- 


bles, and dances, like a giddy thing, her copper sheathing 
267 


268 THE WRECKERS OF FLORIDA 


now gleaming, and again disappearing under the waves. 
But the passage is thrid, and now, hauling on the wind, she 
resumes her former course, and gradually recedes from the 
view. Reader, it was a Florida Wrecker! 

When at the Tortugas, I paid a visit to several vessels of 
this kind, in company with my excellent friend Robert Day, 
Esq. We had observed the regularity and quickness of the 
men then employed at their arduous tasks, and as we ap- 
proached the largest schooner, I admired her form so well 
adapted to her occupation, her great breadth of beam, her 
light draught, the correctness of her water-line, the neatness 
of her painted sides, the smoothness of her well-greased 
masts, and the beauty of her rigging. We were welcomed 
on board with all the frankness of our native tars. Silence 
and order prevailed on her decks. ‘The commander and the 
second officer led us into a spacious cabin, well lighted, and 
furnished with every convenience for fifteen or more pas- 
sengers. ‘The former brought me his collection of marine 
shells, and whenever I pointed to one that I had not seen 
before, offered it with so much kindness, that I found it 
necessary to be careful in expressing my admiration of any 
particular shell. He had also many eggs of rare birds, 
which were all handed over to me, with an assurance that 
before the month should expire, a new set could easily be 
procured, “for,” said he, “we have much idle time on the 
reefs at this season.” Dinner was served, and we partook 
of their fare, which consisted of fish, fowl, and other 
materials. These rovers, who were both from “down east,” 
were stout active men, cleanly and smart in their attire. In 
a short time, we were all extremely social and merry. They 
thought my visit to the Tortugas, in quest of birds, was 
rather “a curious fancy;” but, notwithstanding, they ex- 
pressed their pleasure while looking at some of my drawings, 
and offered their services in procuring specimens. Expedi- 
tions far and near were proposed, and on settling that one 
of them was to take place on the morrow, we parted friends. 


THE WRECKERS OF FLORIDA 269 


Early next morning, several of these kind men accompan- 
ied me to a small key called Booby Island, about ten miles 
distant from the light-house. Their boats were well 
manned, and rowed with long and steady strokes, such as 
whalers and men-of-war’s men are wont to draw. The cap- 
tain sang, and at times, by way of frolic, ran a race with 
our own beautiful bark. The Booby Isle was soon reached, 
and our sport there was equal to any we had elsewhere. 
They were capital shots, had excellent guns, and knew more 
about boobies and noddies than nine-tenths of the best nat- 
uralists in the world. But what will you say when I tell you 
that the Florida Wreckers are excellent at a deer hunt, and 
that at certain seasons, “when business is slack,” they are 
wont to land on some extensive key, and in a few hours pro- 
cure a supply of delicious venison. 

Some days afterwards, the same party took me on an ex- 
pedition in quest of sea-shells. There we were all in the 
water at times to the waist, and now and then much deeper. 
Now they would dip, like ducks, and on emerging would hold 
up a beautiful shell. This occupation they seemed to enjoy 
above all others. 

The duties of the Marion having been performed, intima- 
tion of our intended departure reached the Wreckers. An 
invitation was sent to me to go and see them on board their 
vessels, which I accepted. Their object on this occasion was 
to present me with some superb corals, shells, live turtles of 
the Hawk-billed species, and a great quantity of eggs. Not 
a “pecayon” would they receive in return, but putting some 
letters in my hands, requested me to “be so good as put 
them in the mail at Charleston,” adding that they were for 
their wives ‘‘down east.” So anxious did they appear to 
be to do all they could for me, that they proposed to sail 
before the Marion, and meet her under weigh, to give me 
some birds that were rare on the coast, and of which they 
knew the haunts. Circumstances connected with “the serv- 
ice” prevented this, however; and with sincere regret, and a 


270 THE WRECKERS OF FLORIDA 


good portion of friendship, I bade these excellent fellows 
adieu. How different, thought I, is often the knowledge of 
things acquired by personal observation, from that obtained 
by report! 

I had never before seen Florida Wreckers, nor has it since 
been my fortune to fall in with any; but my good friend, 
Dr. Benjamin Strobel, having furnished me with a graphic 
account of a few days which he spent with them, I shall pre- 
sent you with it in his own words. 

“On the 12th day of September, while lying in harbour at 
Indian Key, we were joined by five wrecking vessels. ‘Their 
licences having expired, it was necessary to go to Key West 
to renew them. We determined to accompany them the 
next morning, and here it will not be amiss for me to say a 
few words respecting these far-famed Wreckers, their cap- 
tains and crews. From all that I had heard, I expected to 
see a parcel of dirty, pirate-looking vessels, officered and 
manned by a set of black-whiskered fellows, who carried mur- 
der in their very looks. I was agreeably surprised on dis- 
covering that the vessels were fine large sloops and schoon- 
ers, regular clippers, kept in first-rate order. The Cap- 
tains generally were jovial, good-humoured sons of Neptune, 
who manifested a disposition to be polite, and hospitable, 
and to afford every facility to persons passing up and down 
the Reef. The crews were hearty, well-drest, and honest- 
looking men. | | 

“On the 13th, at the appointed hour, we all set sail to- 
gether, that is, the five Wreckers and the schooner Jane. 
As our vessel was not noted for fast-sailing, we accepted an 
invitation to go on board of a Wrecker. ‘The fleet got under 
weigh about eight o’clock in the morning, the wind light but 
fair, the water smooth, and the day fine. I can scarcely 
find words to express the pleasure and gratification which I 
this day experienced. ‘The sea was of a beautiful soft, pea- 
green colour, smooth as a sheet of glass, and as transparent, 
its surface agitated only by our vessels as they parted its 


THE WRECKERS OF FLORIDA 271 


bosom, or by the Pelican in pursuit of his prey, which rising 
for a considerable distance in the air, would suddenly plunge 
down with distended mandibles and secure his food. The 
vessels of our little fleet, with every sail set that could catch 
a breeze, and the white foam curling round the prows, 
glided silently along, like islands of flitting shadows, on an 
immovable sea of light. Several fathoms below the surface 
of the water, and under us, we saw great quantities of fish 
diving and sporting among the sea-grass, sponges, sea- 
feathers, and corals, with which the bottom was covered. 
On our right hand were the Florida Keys, which, as we made 
them in the distance, looked like specks upon the surface of 
the water, but as we neared them, rose to view as if by en- 
chantment, clad in the richest livery of spring, each variety 
of colour and hue rendered soft and delicate by a clear sky 
and a brilliant sun over head. All was like a fairy scene; 
_ my heart leaped up in delighted admiration, and I could not 
but exclaim in the language of Scott, 


‘Those seas behold, 
Round thrice an hundred islands rolled.’ 


The trade-wind played around us with balmy and refresh- 
ing sweetness; and, to give life and animation to the scene, 
we had a contest for the mastery between all the vessels of 
the fleet, while a deep interest was excited in favour of this 
or that vessel, as she shot ahead, or fell astern. 

“About three o’clock in the afternoon, we arrived off the 
Bay of Honda. ‘The wind being light, and no prospect of 
reaching Key West that night, it was agreed that we should 
make a harbour here. We entered a beautiful basin and 
came to anchor about four o’clock. Boats were got out, and 
several hunting parties formed. We landed, and were soon 
on the scent, some going in search of shells, others of birds. 
An Indian, who had been picked up somewhere along the 
coast by a Wrecker, and who was employed as a hunter, was 


272 THE WRECKERS OF FLORIDA 


sent ashore in search of venison. Previous to his leaving 
the vessel, a rifle was loaded with a single ball, and put into 
his hands. After an absence of several hours, he returned 
with two deer, which he had killed at a single shot. He 
watched until they were both in range of his gun, side by 
side, when he fired and brought them down. 

“All hands having returned, and the fruits of our excursion 
being collected, we had wherewithal to make an abundant 
supper. Most of the game was sent on board the largest 
vessel, where we proposed supping. Our vessels were all ly- 
ing within hail of each other, and as soon as the moon arose, 
boats were seen passing from vessel to vessel, and all were 
busily and happily engaged in exchanging civilities. One 
could never have supposed that these men were professional 
rivals, so apparent was the good-feeling that prevailed 
among them. About nine o’clock we started for supper; a 
number of persons had already collected, and as soon as 
we arrived on board the vessel, a German sailor, who played 
remarkably well on the violin, was summoned on the quarter- 
deck, when all hands, with a good will, cheerily danced to 
lively airs until supper was ready. ‘The table was laid in 
the cabin, and groaned under its load of venison, wild ducks, 
pigeons, curlews, and fish. ‘Toasting and singing succeeded 
the supper, and among other curious matters introduced, the 
following song was sung by the German fiddler, who ac- 
companied his voice with his instrument. He is said to be 
the author of the song. I say nothing of the poetry, but 
merely give it as it came on my ear. It is certainly very 
characteristic.” . 


THE WRECKER’S SONG 


Come ye, goot people, von and all, 
Come listen to my song: 

A few remarks I have to make, 
Which vont be very long. 

’Tis of our vessel stout and goot, 


THE WRECKERS OF FLORIDA 


As ever yet was built of woot, 
Along the reef where the breakers roar, 
De Wreckers on de Florida shore! 


Key Tavernier’s our rendezvous; 

At anchor there we lie, 
And see the vessels in the Gulf, 

Carelessly passing by. 
When night comes on we dance and sing, 
Whilst the current some vessel is floating in; 
When day-light comes, a ship’s on shore, 
Among de rocks where de breakers roar. 


When day-light dawns, we’re under weigh, 
And every sail is set, 

And if the wind it should prove light, 
Why then, our sails we wet. 

To gain her first each eager strives, 

To save de cargo and de people’s lives, 

Amongst de rocks where de breakers roar, 

De Wreckers on de Florida shore. 


When we get ‘longside, we find she’s bilged: 
We know vel vat to do, 
Save de cargo dat we can, 
De sails and rigging too; 
Den down to Key West we soon vill go, 
When quickly our salvage we shall know; 
When every ting it is fairly sold, 
Our money down to us it is told. 


Den one week’s cruize we'll have on shore, 
Before we do sail again, 

And drink success to de sailor lads 
Dat are ploughing of de main. 

And when you are passing by dis way, 


On the Florida Reef should you chance to stray, 


Why, we will come to you on de shore, 
Amongst de rocks where de breakers roar. 


273 


Q74 THE WRECKERS OF FLORIDA 


“Great emphasis was laid upon particular words by the 
singer, who had a broad German accent. Between the verses 
he played a symphony, remarking, ‘Gentlemens, I makes 
dat myself.’ The chorus was trolled by twenty or thirty 
voices, which, in the stillness of the night, produced no un- 
pleasant effect.” 


THE WHITE PERCH AND ITS FAVOURITE 
BAIT 


No sooner have the overflowing waters of early spring 
subsided within their banks, and the temperature become 
pleasant, than the trees of our woods are seen to unfold 
their buds and blossoms, and the White Perch, which during 
the winter has lived in the ocean, rushes up our streams, to 
seek the well-known haunts in which it last year deposited 
its spawn. With unabating vigour it ascends the turbulent 
current of the Mississippi, of which, however, the waters are 
too muddy to suit its habits; and glad no doubt is it to enter 
one of the numberless tributaries whose limpid waters are 
poured into the mighty river. Of these subsidiary waters 
the Ohio is one in whose pure stream the White Perch seems 
to delight; and towards its head springs the fish advances 
in numerous shoals, following the banks with easy progress. 
Over many a pebbly or gravelly bar does it seek its food. 
Here the crawling mussel it crunches and devours; there, 
with the speed of an arrow, it darts upon the minnow; again, 
at the edge of a shelving rock, or by the side of a stone, it 
secures a cray-fish. No impure food will “the Growler” 
touch; therefore, reader, never make use of such to allure it, 
otherwise not only will your time be lost, but you will not 
enjoy the gratification of tasting this delicious fish. Should 
you have no experience in fishing for perch, I would recom- 
mend to you to watch the men you see on that shore, for 
they are excellent anglers. 

Smooth are the waters, clear is the sky, and gently does 
the stream move,—perhaps its velocity does not exceed a 
mile in the hour. Silence reigns around you. See, each 


fisher has a basket or calabash, containing many a live cray ; 
275 ; 


276 THE WHITE PERCH 


and each line, as thick as a crow quill, measures scarce a 
furlong. At one end two perch hooks are so fastened that 
they cannot interfere with each other. A few inches below 
the reaching point of the farthest hook, the sinker, perhaps 
a quarter of a pound in weight, having a hole bored through 
its length, is passed upon the line, and there secured by a 
stout knot at its lower extremity. The other end of the line 
is fastened ashore. The tackle, you observe, is carefully 
coiled on the sand at the fisher’s feet. Now on each hook he 
fixes a cray-fish, piercing the shell beneath the tail, and forc- 
ing the keen weapon to reach the very head of the suffering 
creature, while all its legs are left at liberty to move. Now, 
each man, holding his line a yard or so from the hooks, whirls 
it several times overhead, and sends it off to its full length 
directly across the stream. No sooner has it reached the 
gravelly bed, than gently urged by the current, it rolls over 
and over, until it is nearly in the line of the water. Before 
this, however, I see that several of the men have had a bite, 
and that by a short jerk they have hooked the fish. Hand 
over hand they haul in their lines. Poor perch, it is useless 
labour for thee to flounce and splash in that manner, for no 
“pity will be shewn thee, and thou shalt be dashed on the 
sand, and left there to quiver in the agonies of death. The 
lines are within a few yards of being in. I see the fish gasp- 
ing on its side. Ah! there are two on this line, both good; on 
most of the others there is one; but I see some of the lines 
have been robbed by some cunning inhabitant of the water. 
What beautiful fishes these perches are! so silvery beneath, 
so deeply coloured above! What a fine eye too! But, 
friend, I cannot endure their gaspings. Pray put them on 
this short line, and place them in the water beside you, until 
you prepare to go home. In a few hours each fisher has 
obtained as many as he wishes. He rolls up his line, fastens 
five or six perches on each side of his saddle, mounts his 
horse, and merrily wends his way. 

In this manner the White Perch is caught along the sandy 


THE WHITE PERCH 277 


banks of the Ohio, from its mouth to its source. In many 
parts above Louisville some fishers prefer using the trot- 
line, which, however, ought to be placed upon, or very little 
above, the bottom of the stream. When this kind of line is 
employed, its hooks are more frequently baited with mussels 
than with cray-fish, the latter being perhaps not so easily 
procured there as farther down the stream. Great numbers 
of perches are also caught in seines, especially during a 
transient rise of the water. Few persons fish for them with 
the pole, as they generally prefer following the edges of the 
sand-bars next to deep water. Like all others of its tribe, 
the White Perch is fond of depositing its spawn on gravelly 
or sandy beds, but rarely at a depth of less than four or five 
feet. These beds are round, and have an elevated margin 
formed of the sand removed from their centre, which is 
scooped out for two or three inches. ‘The fish, although it 
generally remains for some days over its treasure, is by no 
means so careful of it as the little sunny, but starts off at the 
least appearance of danger. I have more than once taken 
considerable pleasure in floating over their beds, when the 
water was sufficiently clear to admit of my seeing both the 
fish and its place of deposit; but I observed that if the 
sun was shining, the very sight of the boat’s shadow drove 
the perches away. I am of opinion that most of them re- 
turn to the sea about the beginning of November; but of this 
I am not certain. 

The usual length of this fish, which on the Ohio is called 
the White Perch, and in the State of New York the Growler, 
is from fifteen to twenty inches. I have, however, seen some 
considerably larger. ‘The weight varies from a pound and a 
half to four, and even six pounds. For the first six weeks 
of their arrival in fresh water streams they are in season; 
the flesh is then white and firm, and affords excellent eating ; 
but during the heats of summer, they become poor, and are 
seldom very good. Now and then, in the latter days of 
September, I have eaten some that tasted as well as in 


278 THE WHITE PERCH 


spring. One of the most remarkable habits of this fish is 
that from which it has received the name of Growler. When. 
poised in the water, close to the bottom of a boat, it emits 
a rough croaking noise, somewhat resembling a groan. 
Whenever this sound is heard under a boat, if the least dis- 
turbance is made by knocking on the gunwale or bottom, it 
at once ceases; but is renewed when every thing is quiet. It 
is seldom heard, however, unless in fine calm weather. 

The White Perch bites at the hook with considerable care, 
and very frequently takes off the bait without being caught. 
Indeed, it requires a good deal of dexterity to hook it, for if 
this is not done the first time it touches the bait, you rarely 
succeed afterwards; and I have seen young hands at the 
game, who, in the course of a morning, seldom caught more 
than one or two, although they lost perhaps twenty crays. 
But, now that I have afforded you some information respect- 
ing the habits of the White Perch, allow me to say a few 
words on the subject of its favourite bait. 


The Cray is certainly not a fish, although usually so 
styled; but as every one is acquainted with its form and 
nature, I shall not inflict on you any disquisition regarding 
it. It is a handsome crustaceous animal certainly, and its 
whole tribe I consider as dainties of the first order. To me 
“Ecrevisses,” whether of fresh or of salt water, stripped of 
their coats, and blended into a soup or a “gombo,” have al- 
ways been most welcome. Boiled or roasted too, they are 
excellent in my estimation, and mayhap in yours. The 
Cray-fish, of which I here more particularly speak—for I 
shall not deprive them of their caudal appendage, lest, like 
a basha without his tail, they might seem of less consequence 
—are found most abundantly swimming, crawling at the 
bottom or on shore, or working at their muddy burrows, in 
all the southern parts of the Union. If I mistake not, we 
have two species at least, one more an inhabitant of rocky 
streamlets than the other, and that one by far the best, 


THE WHITE PERCH 279 


though the other is good too. Both species swim by means 
of rapid strokes of the tail, which propel them backwards to 
a considerable distance at each repetition. All that I re- 
gret concerning these animals is, that they are absolutely 
little aquatic vultures—or, if you please, crustacea with 
vulturme habits—for they feed on every thing impure that 
comes in their way, when they cannot obtain fresh aliment. 
However this may be, the Crays somehow fall in with this 
sort of food, and any person may catch as many as he may 
wish, by fastening a piece of flesh to a line, allowing it to 
remain under water for a while, and drawing it up with care, 
when, with the aid of a hand-net, he may bring it ashore with 
afew! But although this is a good method of procuring 
Cray-fish, it answers only for those that live in running 
waters. ‘The form of these is delicate, their colour a light 
olive, and their motions in the water are very lively. The 
others are larger, of a dark greenish-brown, less active in the 
water than on land, although they are most truly amphibi- 
ous. ‘The first conceal themselves beneath shelving rocks, 
stones, or water-plants; the others form a deep burrow in the 
damp earth, depositing the materials drawn up, as a man 
would do in digging a well. The manner in which they dis- 
pose of the mud you may see by glancing at the plate of the 
White Ibis, in my third volume of Ilustrations, where also 
you will find a tolerable portrait of one of these creatures. 
According to the nature of the ground, the burrows of this 
Cray-fish are more or less deep. Indeed, this also depends 
partly on the increasing dryness of the soil, when influenced 
by the heat of summer, as well as on the texture of the sub- 
stratum. ‘Thus, in some places, where the Cray can reach 
the water after working a few inches, it rests contented dur- 
ing the day, but crawls out for food at night. Should it, 
however, be left dry, it renews its labour; and thus while one 
burrow may be only five or six inches deep, another may be 
two or three feet, and a third even more. ‘They are easily 
procured when thus lodged in shallow holes; but when the 


280 THE WHITE PERCH 


burrow is deep, a thread is used, with a small piece of flesh 
fastened to it. The Cray eagerly seizes the bait, and is 
gently drawn up, and thrown to a distance, when he becomes 
an easy prey. You have read of the method used by the 
White Ibis in procuring Crays; and I leave you to judge 
whether the bird or the man is the best fisher. ‘This species 
is most abundant round the borders of the stagnant lakes, 
bayous, or ponds of the Southern Districts; and I have 
seen them caught even in the streets of the suburbs of New 
Orleans, after a heavy shower. 'They become a great pest 
by perforating embankments of all sorts, and many are the 
maledictions that are uttered against them both by millers 
and planters, nay even by the overseers of the levees along 
the banks of the Mississippi. But they are curious crea- 
tures, formed no doubt for useful purposes, and as such they 
are worthy of your notice. 


A RACOON HUNT IN KENTUCKY 


Tur Racoon, which is a cunning and crafty animal, is 
found in all our woods, so that its name is familiar to every 
child in the Union. The propensity which it evinces to cap- 
ture all kinds of birds accessible to it in its nightly prowl- 
ings, for the purpose of feasting on their flesh, induces me 
to endeavour to afford you some idea of the pleasure which 
our western hunters feel in procuring it. With your leave, 
then, Reader, I will take you to a “Coon Hunt.” 

A few hours ago the sun went down far beyond the “far 
west.” The woodland choristers have disappeared, the 
matron has cradled her babe, and betaken herself to the 
spinning-wheel ; the woodsman, his sons, and “the stranger” 
are chatting before a blazing fire, making wise reflections on 
past events, and anticipating those that are to come. 
Autumn, sallow and sad, prepares to bow her head to the 
keen blast of approaching winter; the corn, though still on 
its stalk, has lost its blades; the wood pile is as large as the 
woodsman’s cabin; the nights have become chill, and each 
new morn has effected a gradual change in the dews, which 
now crust the withered herbage with a coat of glittering 
white. The sky is still cloudless; a thousand twinkling stars 
reflect their light from the tranquil waters; all is silent and 
calm in the forest, save the nightly prowlers that roam in 
its recesses. In the cheerful cabin all is happiness; its in- 
mates generously strive to contribute to the comfort of the 
stranger who has chanced to visit them; and, as racoons are 
abundant in the neighbourhood, they propose a hunt. The 
offer is gladly accepted. The industrious woman leaves her 
wheel, for she has listened to her husband’s talk ; now she ap- 
proaches the fire, takes up the board shovel, stirs the embers, 


produces a basket filled with sweet potatoes, arranges its 
281 


282 A RACOON HUNT IN KENTUCKY, 


contents side by side in front of the hearth, and covers them 
with hot ashes and glowing coals. All this she does, because 
she “‘guesses” that hungry stomachs will be calling for food 
when the sport is over. Ah! Reader, what “homely joys” 
there are in such scenes, and how you would enjoy them! 
The rich may produce a better, or a more sumptuous meal; 
but his feelings can never be like those of the poor woodsman. 
Poor I ought not to call him, for nature and industry 
bountifully supply all his wants; the woods and rivers pro- 
duce his chief dainties, and his toils are his pleasures. 
Now mark him! the bold Kentuckian is on his feet; his 
sons and the stranger prepare for the march. Horns and 
rifles are in requisition. The good man opens the wooden- 
hinged door, and sends forth a blast loud enough to scare 
a wolf. The racoons scamper away from the cornfields, 
break through the fences, and hie to the woods. The hunter 
has taken an axe from the wood-pile, and returning, as- 
sures us that the night is clear, and that we shall have rare 
sport. He blows through his rifle, to ascertain that it is 
clear, examines his flint, and thrusts a feather into the touch- 
hole. To a leathern bag swung at his side is attached a 
- powder-horn; his sheathed knife is there also; below hangs a 
narrow strip of home-spun linen. He takes from his bag a 
bullet, pulls with his teeth the wooden stopper from his 
powder-horn, lays the ball on one hand, and with the other 
pours the powder upon it until it is just overtopped. 
Raising the horn to his mouth, he again closes it with the 
stopper, and restores it to its place. He introduces the 
powder into the tube; springs the box of his gun, greases 
the “patch” over with some melted tallow, or damps it; then 
places it on the honeycombed muzzle of his piece. The bul- 
let is placed on the patch over the bore, and pressed with the 
handle of the knife, which now trims the edges of the linen. 
The elastic hickory rod, held with both hands, smoothly 
pushes the ball to its bed: once, twice, thrice has it re- 
bounded. ‘The rifle leaps as it were into the hunter’s arms, 


A RACOON HUNT IN KENTUCKY 283 


the feather is drawn from the touch-hole, the powder fills 
the pan, which is closed. ‘Now I’m ready,” cries the woods- 
man. His companions say the same. Hardly more than 
a minute has elapsed. I wish, Reader, you had seen this 
fine fellow—but hark! the dogs are barking. 

All is now bustle within and without: a servant lights a 
torch, and off we march to the woods. ‘Don’t mind the 
boys, my dear sir,” says the woodsman, “follow me close, 
for the ground is covered with logs, and the grape vines 
hang everywhere across.” ‘‘Ioby, hold up the light, man, 
or we'll never see the gullies.” “Trail your gun, sir, as 
General Clark used to say,—not so, but this way—that’s it; 
now then, no danger you see; no fear of snakes, poor things! 
They are stiff enough, I’ll be bound. The-dogs have treed 
one. ‘Toby, you old fool, why don’t you turn to the right— 
not so much there—go a-head, and give us light— What’s 
that?p— Who’s there?— Ah, you young rascals! you’ve 
played us a trick, have you. It’s all well enough, but now, 
just keep behind, or [’Il” and in fact, the boys, with eyes 
good enough to see in the dark, although not quite so well as 
an Owl’s, had cut directly across the dogs, which had sur- 
prised a racoon on the ground and bayed it, until the lads 
knocked it on the head. ‘Seek him, boys,” cries the hunter. 
—The dogs, putting their noses to the ground, pushed off at 
a good rate. ‘Master, they’re making for the creek,” says 
old Toby. On towards it therefore we push. What woods, 
to be sure! No gentleman’s park this, I assure you, 
Reader. We are now in a low flat; the soil thinly covers the 
hard clay; nothing but beech trees hereabouts, unless now 
and then a maple. Hang the limbs! say I—hang the 
supple-jacks too—here I am, fast by the neck—cut it with 
your knife. My knee has had a tremendous rub against a 
log—now, my foot is jammed between two roots—and here I 
stick. ‘Toby, come back—don’t you know the stranger is 
not up to the woods? MHalloo, Toby, Toby!” There I 
stood perfectly shackled, the hunter laughing heartily, and 





284 A RACOON HUNT IN KENTUCKY 


the lads glad of an opportunity of slipping off. ‘Toby 
arrived, and held the torch near the ground, on which the 
hunter cutting one of the roots with his hatchet, set me free. 
“Are you hurt, Sir?”—no, not in the least. Off we start 
again. ‘The boys had got up with the dogs, which were bay- 
ing a Racoon in a small puddle. We soon joined them with 
the light. ‘Now, stranger! watch and see!” ‘The Racoon 
was all but swimming, and yet had hold of the bottom of the 
pool with his feet. The glare of the lighted torch was doubt- 
less distressing to him; his coat was ruffled, and his rounded 
tail seemed thrice its ordinary size, his eyes shone like em- 
eralds; with foaming jaws he watched the dogs, ready to 
seize each by the snout if it came within reach. They kept 
him busy for several minutes; the water became thick with 
mud; his coat now hung dripping, and his draggled tail lay 
floating on the surface. His guttural growlings, in place of 
intimidating his assailants, excited them the more; and they 
very unceremoniously closed upon him, curs as they were, 
and without the breeding of gentle dogs! One seized him 
by the rump and tugged, but was soon forced to let go; an- 
other stuck to his side, but soon taking a better directed bite 
of his muzzle than another dog had just done of his tail, coon 
made him yelp; and pitiful were the cries of luckless Tyke. 
The Racoon would not let go, but in the mean time the other 
dogs seized him fast, and worried him to death, yet to the last 
he held by his antagonist’s snout. Knocked on the head by 
an axe, he lay gasping his last breath, and the heaving of 
his chest was painful to see. ‘The hunters stood gazing at 
him in the pool, while all around was by the flare of the torch 
rendered trebly dark and dismal. It was a good scene for a 
skilful painter. 

We had now two coons, whose furs were worth two 
quarters of a dollar, and whose bodies, which I must not 
forget, as Toby informed us, would produce two more. 
“What now?” I asked— ‘What now?” quoth the father, 
“why go after more to be sure.” So we did, the dogs ahead, 


A RACOON HUNT IN KENTUCKY 285 


and I far behind. In a short time the curs treed another, and 
when we came up, we found them seated on their haunches, 
looking upwards, and barking. The hunters now employed 
their axes, and sent the chips about at such a rate that one of 
them coming in contact with my cheek marked it so, that a 
week after several of my friends asked me where, in the name 
of wonder, I had got that black eye. At length the tree 
began to crack, and slowly leaning to one side, the heavy 
mass swung rustling through the air, and fell to the earth 
with acrash. It was not one coon that was surprised here, 
but three—aye three of them, one of which, more crafty than 
the rest, leaped fairly from the main top while the tree was 
staggering. ‘The other two stuck to the hollow of a branch, 
from which they were soon driven by one of the dogs. Tyke 
and Lion having nosed the cunning old one, scampered after 
him, not mouthing like the well-trained hounds of our south- 
ern fox hunters, but yelling like furies. The hunter’s sons 
attacked those on the tree, while the woodsman and I, pre- 
ceeded by Toby, made after the other; and busy enough we 
all were. Our animal was of extraordinary size, and after 
some parley, a rifle ball was sent through his brain. He 
reeled once only,—next moment he lay dead. The rest were 
dispatched by the axe and the club, for a shot in those days 
was too valuable to be spent when it could be saved. It could 
procure a deer, and therefore was worth more than a coon’s 
skin. 

Now, look at the moon! how full and clear has she risen 
on the Racoon hunters! Now is the time for sport! On- 
ward we go, one following the long shadow of his precursor. 
The twigs are no impediment, and we move at a brisker pace, 
as we return to the hills. What a hue and cry!—here are 
the dogs. Overhead and all around, on the forks of each 
tree, the hunter’s keen eye searches for something round, 
which is likely to prove a coiled up Racoon. 'There’s one! 
Between me and the moon I spied the cunning thing 
crouched in silence. After taking aim, I raise my barrel 


286 A RACOON HUNT IN KENTUCKY 


ever so little, the trigger is pressed ; down falls the Racoon to 
the ground. Another and another are on the same tree. 
Off goes a bullet, then a second; and we secure the prey. 
“Let us go home, stranger,” says the woodsman; and con- 
tented with our sport, towards his cabin we trudge. On ar- 
riving there, we find a cheerful fire. Toby stays without, 
prepares the game, stretches the skins on a frame of cane, 
and washes the bodies. The table is already set; the cake 
and the potatoes are all well done; four bowls of butter-milk 
are ranged in order; and now the hunters fall to. 

The Racoon is a cunning animal, and makes a pleasant 
pet. Monkey-like, it is quite dexterous in the use of its fore 
feet, and it will amble after its master, in the manner of a 
bear, and even follow him into the street. It is fond of 
eggs, but prefers them raw, and it matters not whether it be 
morning, noon, or night, when it finds a dozen in the pheas- 
ant’s nest, or one placed in your pocket to please him. He 
knows the habits of mussels better than most conchologists. 
Being an expert climber, he ascends to the hole of the wood- 
pecker, and devours the young birds. He knows, too, how 
to watch the soft-shelled turtle’s crawl, and, better still, how 
to dig up her eggs. Now by the edge of the pond, 
grimalkin-like, he lies seemingly asleep, until the summer- 
duck comes within reach. No Negro knows better when the 
corn is juicy and pleasant to eat; and although squirrels and 
woodpeckers know this too, the Racoon is found in the 
cornfield longer in the season than any of them, the havoc 
he commits there amounting to a tithe. His fur is good in 
winter, and many think his flesh good also; but for my part 
I prefer a live Racoon to a dead one, and should find more 
pleasure in hunting one than in eating him. 


A WILD HORSE 


WHiLe residing at Henderson in Kentucky, I became 
acquainted with a gentleman who had just returned from the 
country in the neighbourhood of the head waters of the 
Arkansas River, where he had purchased a newly caught 
“Wild Horse,” a descendant of some of the horses originally 
brought from Spain, and set at liberty in the vast prairies of 
the Mexican lands. The animal was by no means hand- 
some :—he had a large head, with a considerable prominence 
in its frontal region, his thick and unkempt mane hung along 
his neck to the breast, and his tail, too scanty to be called 
flowing, almost reached the ground. But his chest was 
broad, his legs clean and sinewy, and his eyes and nostrils 
indicated spirit, vigour, and endurance. He had never been 
shod, and although he had been ridden hard, and had per- 
formed a long journey, his black hoofs had suffered no 
damage. His colour inclined to bay, the legs of a deeper 
tint, and gradually darkening below until they became 
nearly black. I inquired what might be the value of such 
an animal among the Osage Indians, and was answered, that 
the horse being only four years old, he had given for him, 
with the tree and the buffalo tug fastened to his head, ar- 
ticles equivalent to about thirty-five dollars. The gentle- 
man added, that he had never mounted a better horse, and 
had very little doubt, that if well fed, he could carry a man 
of ordinary weight from thirty-five to forty miles a-day, for 
a month, as he had travelled at that rate upon him, without 
giving him any other food than the grass of the prairies, or 
the canes of the bottom lands, until he had crossed the Mis- 
sissippi at Natchez, when he fed him with corn. Having no 
farther use for him, now that he had ended his journey, he 


said he was anxious to sell him, and thought he might prove 
287 


288 A WILD HORSE 


a good hunting horse for me, as his gaits were easy, and he 
stood fire as well as any charger he had seen. Having some 
need of a horse possessed of qualities similar to those repre- 
sented as belonging to the one in question, I asked if I might 
be allowed to try him. “Try him, Sir, and welcome; nay, 
if you will agree to feed him and take care of him, you may 
keep him for a month, if you choose.” So I had the horse 
taken to the stable and fed. 

About two hours afterwards, I took my gun, mounted the 
prairie nag, and went to the woods. I was not long in find- 
ing him very sensible to the spur, and as I observed that he 
moved with great ease both to himself and his rider, I 
thought of leaping over a log several feet in diameter, to 
judge how far he might prove serviceable in deer-driving 
or bear-hunting. So I gave him the reins, and pressed my 
legs to his belly without using the spur, on which, as if 
aware that I wished to try his mettle, he bounded off and 
cleared the log as lightly as anelk. I turned him, and made 
him leap the same log several times, which he did with equal 
ease, so that I was satisfied of his ability to clear any impedi- 
ment in the woods. I next determined to try his strength, 
for which purpose I took him to a swamp, which I knew was 
muddy and tough. He entered it with his nose close to the 
water, as if to judge of its depth, at which I was well pleased, 
as he thus evinced due caution. I then rode through the 
swamp in different directions, and found him prompt, de- 
cided, and unflinching. Can he swim well? thought I;— 
for there are horses, which, although excellent, cannot swim 
at all, but will now and then lie on their side, as if contented 
to float with the current, when the rider must either swim 
and drag them to the shore, or abandon them. 'To the Ohio 
then I went, and rode into the water. He made off obliquely 
against the current, his head well raised above the surface, 
his nostrils expanded, his breathing free, and without any of 
the grunting noise emitted by many horses on such occasions. 
I turned him down the stream, then directly against it, and 


A WILD HORSE 289 


finding him quite to my mind, I returned to the shore, on 
reaching which he stopped of his own accord, spread his legs, 
and almost shook me off my seat. After this I put him to 
a gallop, and returning home through the woods, shot from 
the saddle a turkey-cock, which he afterwards approached as 
if he had been trained to the sport, and enabled me to take 
it up without dismounting. 

- As soon as I reached the house of Dr. Rankin, where I 
then resided, I sent word to the owner of the horse that I 
should be glad to see him. When he came, I asked him what 
price he would take; he said, fifty dollars in silver was the 
lowest. So I paid the money, took a bill of sale, and became 
master of the horse. The Doctor, who was an excellent 
judge, said smiling to me, “Mr. Audubon, when you are 
tired of him, I will refund you the fifty dollars, for depend 
upon it he is a capital horse.” The mane was trimmed, but 
the tail left untouched ; the Doctor had him shod “all round,” 
and for several weeks he was ridden by my wife, who was 
highly pleased with him. 

Business requiring that I should go to Philadelphia, 
Barro (he was so named after his former owner) was put up 
for ten days and well attended to. ‘The time of my de- 
parture having arrived, I mounted him; and set off at the 
rate of four miles an hour ;—but here I must give you the 
line of my journey, that you may, if you please, follow my 
course on some such map as that of Tanner’s. From Hen- 
derson through Russellville, Nashville, and Knoxville, Ab- 
ington in Virginia, the Natural Bridge, Harrisonburgh, 
Winchester and Harper’s Ferry, Frederick and Lancaster 
to Philadelphia. There I remained four days, after which 
I returned by way of Pittsburgh, Wheeling, Zanesville, 
Chillicothe, Lexington, and Louisville to Henderson. But 
the nature of my business was such as to make me deviate 
considerably from the main roads, and I computed the whole 
distance at nearly two thousand miles, the post roads being 
rather more than sixteen hundred. I travelled not less than 


290 A WILD HORSE 


forty miles a-day, and it was allowed by the Doctor that my 
horse was in as good condition on my return as when I set 
out. Such a journey on a single horse may seem somewhat 
marvellous in the eyes of a European; but in those days al- 
most every merchant had to perform the like, some from all 
parts of the western country, even from St. Louis on the 
Missouri, although the travellers not unfrequently, on their 
return, sold their horses at Baltimore, Philadelphia, or Pitts- 
burgh, at which latter place they took boat. My wife rode 
on a single horse from Henderson to Philadelphia, travelling 
at the same rate. The country was then comparatively new; 
few coaches travelled, and in fact the roads were scarcely fit 
for carriages. About twenty days were considered neces- 
sary for performing a journey on horseback from Louisville 
to Philadelphia, whereas now the same distance may be 
travelled in six or seven days, or even sometimes less, this 
depending on the height of the water in the Ohio. 

It may be not uninteresting to you to know the treatment 
which the horse received on these journeys. I rose every 
morning before day, cleaned my horse, pressed his back with 
my hand, to see if it had been galled, and placed on it a 
small blanket folded double, in such a manner that when the 
saddle was put on, half of the cloth was turned over it. The 
surcingle, beneath which the saddle-bags were placed, con- 
fined the blanket to the seat, and to the pad behind was fast- 
ened the great coat or cloak, tightly rolled up. The bridle 
had a snaffle bit; a breastplate was buckled in front to each 
skirt, to render the seat secure during an ascent; but my 
horse required no crupper, his shoulders being high and 
well-formed. On starting he trotted off at the rate of four 
miles an hour, which he continued. I usually travelled from 
fifteen to twenty miles before breakfast, and after the first 
hour allowed my horse to drink as much as he would. When 
I halted for breakfast, I generally stopped two hours, 
cleaned the horse, and gave him as much corn blades as he 
could eat. I then rode on until within half an hour of sun- 


A WILD HORSE 291 


set, when I watered him well, poured a bucket of cold water 
over his back, had his skin well rubbed, his feet examined and 
cleaned. The rack was filled with blades, the trough with 
corn, a good-sized pumpkin or some hens’ eggs, whenever 
they could be procured, were thrown in, and if oats were to 
be had, half a bushel of them was given in preference to corn, 
which is apt to heat some horses. In the morning, the 
nearly empty trough and rack afforded sufficient evidence of 
the state of his health. 

_ I had not ridden him many days before he became so at- 
tached to me that on coming to some limpid stream, in which 
I had a mind to bathe, I could leave him at liberty to graze, 
and he would not drink if told not to do so. He was ever 
sure-footed, and in such continual good spirits, that now and 
then, when a turkey happened to rise from a dusting place 
before me, the mere inclination of my body forward was 
enough to bring him to a smart canter, which he would con- 
tinue until the bird left the road for the woods, when he never 
failed to resume his usual trot. On my way homewards I 
met at the crossings of the Juniata River a gentleman from 
New Orleans whose name is Vincent Nolte. He was 
mounted on a superb horse, for which he had paid three 
hundred dollars, and a servant on horseback led another as 
a change. I was then an utter stranger to him, and as I 
approached and praised his horse, he not very courteously 
observed that he wished I had as good a one. Finding that 
he was going to Bedford to spend the night, I asked him at 
what hour he would get there. “Just soon enough to have 
some trouts ready for our supper, provided you will join 
when you get there.” I almost imagined that Barro under- 
stood our conversation; he pricked up his ears, and length- 
ened his pace, on which Mr. Nolte caracolled his horse, and 
then put him to a quick trot, but all in vain, for I reached 
the hotel nearly a quarter of an hour before him, ordered the 
trouts, saw to the putting away of my good horse, and stood 
at the door ready to welcome my companion. From that 


292 A WILD HORSE 


day Vincent Nolte has been a friend to me. It was from 
him I received letters of introduction to the Rathbones of 
Liverpool, for which I shall ever be grateful to him. We 
rode together as far as Shippingport, where my worthy 
friend Nicholas Berthoud, Esq. resided, and on parting with 
me he repeated what he had many times said before, that he 
had never seen so serviceable a creature as Barro. 

If I recollect rightly, I gave a short verbal account of this 
journey, and of the good qualities of my horse, to my learned 
friend J. Skinner, Esq. of Baltimore, who I believe thas no- 
ticed them in his excellent Sporting Magazine. We agreed 
that the importation of horses of this kind from the Western 
Prairies might improve our breeds generally; and, judging 
from those which I have been seen, I am inclined to think 
that some of them may prove fit for the course. A few days 
after reaching Henderson, I parted with Barro, not without 
regret, for a hundred and twenty dollars. 


REMINISCENCES OF THOMAS BEWICK 


Turovucu the kindness of Mr. Selby of Twizel-House in 
Northumberland, I had anticipated the pleasure of forming 
an acquaintance with the celebrated and estimable Bewick, 
whose works indicate an era in the history of the art of en- 
graving on wood. In my progress southward, after leaving 
Edinburgh in 1827, I reached Newcastle-upon-Tyne about 
the middle of April, when Nature had begun to decorate 
anew the rich country around. The lark was in full song, 
the blackbird rioted in the exuberance of joy, the husband- 
man cheerily plied his healthful labours, and I, although a 
stranger in a foreign land, felt delighted with all around 
me, for I had formed friends who were courteous and kind, 
and whose favour I had reason to hope would continue. Nor 
have I been disappointed in my expectations. 

Bewick must have heard of my arrival at Newcastle before 
I had an opportunity of calling upon him, for he sent me by 
his son the following note:—“T. Bewick’s compliments to 
Mr. Audubon, and will be glad of the honour of his company 
this day to tea at six o’clock.” These few words at once 
proved to me the kindness of his nature, and, as my labours 
were closed for the day, I accompanied the son to his father’s 
house. 

As yet I had seen but little of the town, and had never 
crossed the Tyne. The first remarkable object that at- 
tracted my notice was a fine church, which my companion 
informed me was that of St. Nicholas. Passing over the 
river by a stone bridge of several arches, I saw by the wharfs 
a considerable number of vessels, among which I dis- 
tinguished some of American construction. ‘The shores on 


either side were pleasant, the undulated ground being orna- 
293 


294 REMINISCENCES OF THOMAS BEWICK 


mented with buildings, windmills, and glass-works. On the 
water glided, or were swept along by great oars, boats of 
singular form, deeply laden with the subterranean produce 
of the hills around. 

At length we reached the dwelling of the Engraver, and 
I was at once shewn to his workshop. ‘There I met the old 
man, who, coming towards me, welcomed me with a hearty 
shake of the hand, and for a moment took off a cotton night- 
cap, somewhat soiled by the smoke of the place. He was a 
tall stout man, with a large head, and with eyes placed 
farther apart than those of any man that I have ever seen :— 
a perfect old Englishman, full of life, although seventy-four 
years of age, active and prompt in his labours. Presently 
he proposed shewing me the work he was at, and went on with 
his tools. It was a small vignette, cut on a block of boxwood 
not more than three by two inches in surface, and repre- 
sented a dog frightened at night by what he fancied to be 
living objects, but which were actually roots and branches 
of trees, rocks, and other objects bearing the semblance of 
men. ‘This curious piece of art, like all his works, was ex- 
quisite, and more than once did I feel strongly tempted to 
ask a rejected bit, but was prevented by his inviting me up 
stairs, where, he said, I should soon meet all the best artists 
of Newcastle. 

There I was introduced to the Misses Bewick, amiable and 
affable ladies, who manifested all anxiety to render my visit 
agreeable. Among the visitors I saw a Mr. Goud, and was 
highly pleased with one of the productions of his pencil, a 
full length miniature in oil of Bewick, well drawn, and highly 
finished. 

The old gentleman and I stuck to each other, he talking of 
my drawings, I of his wood-cuts. Now and then he would 
take off his cap, and draw up his grey worsted stockings to 
his nether clothes; but whenever our conversation became ani- 
mated, the replaced cap was left sticking as if by magic to 
the hind part of his head, the neglected hose resumed their 


REMINISCENCES OF THOMAS BEWICK 295 


downward tendency, his fine eyes sparkled, and he delivered 
his sentiments with a freedom and vivacity which afforded 
me great pleasure. He said he had heard that my drawings 
had been exhibited in Liverpool, and felt great anxiety to 
see some of them, which he proposed to gratify by visiting 
me early next morning along with his daughters and a few 
friends. Recollecting at that moment how desirous my sons, 
then in Kentucky, were to have a copy of his works on Quad- 
rupeds, I asked him where I could procure one, when he im- 
mediately answered “Here,” and forthwith presented me 
with a beautiful set. 

The tea-drinking having in due time come to an end, 
young Bewick, to amuse me, brought a bagpipe of a new 
construction, called the Durham Pipe, and played some 
simple Scotch, English and Irish airs, all sweet and pleasing 
to my taste. I could scarcely understand how, with his 
large fingers, he managed to cover each hole separately. 
The instrument sounded somewhat like a hautboy, and had 
none of the shrill war-like notes or booming sound of the 
military bagpipe of the Scotch Highlanders. The com- 
pany dispersed at an early hour, and when I parted from 
Bewick that night, I parted from a friend. 

A few days after this I received another note from him, 
which I read hastily, having with me at the moment many 
persons examining my drawings. This note having, as I 
understood it, intimated his desire that I should go and dine 
with him that day, I accordingly went; but judge of my sur- 
prise when, on arriving at his house at 5 o’clock, with an 
appetite becoming the occasion, I discovered that I had been 
invited to tea and not to dinner. However, the mistake was 
speedily cleared up to the satisfaction of all parties, and an 
abundant supply of eatables was placed on the table. The 
Reverend William Turner joined us, and the evening passed 
delightfully. At first our conversation was desultory and 
multifarious, but when the table was removed, Bewick took 
his seat by the fire, and we talked of our more immediate 


296 REMINISCENCES OF THOMAS BEWICK 


concerns. In due time we took leave, and returned to our 
homes, pleased with each other and with our host. 

Having been invited the previous evening to breakfast 
with Bewick at 8, I revisited him at that hour on the 16th 
April, and found the whole family so kind and attentive that 
I felt quite at home. The good gentleman, after breakfast, 
soon betook himself to his labours, and began to shew me, as 
he laughingly said, how easy it was to cut wood; but I soon 
saw that cutting wood in his style and manner was no joke, 
although to him it seemed indeed easy. His delicate and 
beautiful tools were all made by himself, and I may with 
truth say that his shop was the only artist’s “shop” that I 
ever found perfectly clean and tidy. In the course of the 
day Bewick called upon me again and put down his name on 
my list of subscribers in behalf of the Literary and Philo- 
sophical Society of Newcastle. In this, however, his en- 
thusiasm had misled him, for the learned body for which 
he took upon himself to act, did not think proper to ratify 
the compact. 

Another invitation having come to me from Gatehead, I 
_ found my good friend seated in his usual place. His coun- 
tenance seemed to me to beam with pleasure as he shook my 
hand. “I could not bear the idea,” said he, “of your going 
off, without telling you, in written words, what I think of 
your Birds of America. Here it is in black and white, and 
make of it what use you may, if it be of use at all.” I put 
the unsealed letter in my pocket, and we chatted on subjects 
connected with natural history. Now and then he would 
start and exclaim, “Oh, that I were young again! I would 
go to America too. Hey! what a country it will be, Mr. 
Audubon.” I retorted by exclaiming, “Hey! what a coun- 
try it is already, Mr. Bewick!” In the midst of our con- 
versation on birds and other animals, he drank my health 
and the peace of all the world in hot brandy toddy, and I 
returned the compliment, wishing, no doubt in accordance. 
with his own sentiments, the health of all our enemies. His 


REMINISCENCES OF THOMAS BEWICK 297 


daughters enjoyed the scene, and remarked, that for years, 
their father had not been in such a flow of spirits. 

I regret that I have not by me at present the letter which 
this generous and worthy man gave me that evening, other- 
wise, for his sake, I should have presented you with it. It 
is in careful keeping, however, as a memorial of a man 
whose memory is dear to me; and be assured I regard it 
with quite as much pleasure as a manuscript “Synopsis of 
the Birds of America,” by Alexander Wilson, which that 
celebrated individual gave to me at Louisville in Kentucky, 
more than twenty years ago. Bewick’s letter, however, will 
be presented to you along with many others, in connection 
with some strange facts, which I hope may be useful to the 
world. We protracted our conversation beyond our usual 
time of retiring to rest, and at his earnest request, and much 
to my satisfaction, I promised to spend the next evening 
with him, as it was to be my last at Newcastle for some time. 

On the 19th of the same month I paid him my last visit, at 
his house. When we parted, he repeated three times, “‘God 
preserve you, God bless you!”” He must have been sensible 
to the emotion which I felt, and which he must have read 
in my looks, although I refrained from speaking on the 
occasion. 

A few weeks previous to the death of this fervent admirer 
of nature, he and his daughters paid me a visit in London. 
He looked as well as when I had seen him at Newcastle. Our 
interview was short but agreeable, and when he bade adieu, 
I was certainly far from thinking that it might be the last. 
But so it was, for only a very short time had elapsed when I 
saw his death announced in the newspapers. 

My opinion of this remarkable man is, that he was purely 
a son of nature, to whom alone he owed nearly all that char- 
acterized him as an artist and a man. Warm in his af- 
fections, of deep feeling, and possessed of a vigorous imag- 
ination, with correct and penetrating observation, he needed 
little extraneous aid to make him what he became, the first 


298 REMINISCENCES OF THOMAS BEWICK 


engraver on wood that England has produced. Look at his 
tail-pieces, Reader, and say if you ever saw so much life 
represented before, from the glutton who precedes the Great 
Black-backed Gull, to the youngsters flying their kite, the 
disappointed sportsman who, by shooting a magpie, has 
lost a woodcock, the horse endeavouring to reach the water, 
the bull roaring near the style, or the poor beggar attacked 
by the rich man’s mastiff. As you turn each successive leaf, 
from beginning to end of his admirable books, scenes calcu- 
lated to excite your admiration everywhere present them- 
selves. Assuredly you will agree with me in thinking that in 
his peculiar path none has equalled him. There may be 
men now, or some may in after years appear, whose works 
may in some respects rival or even excel his, but not the less 
must Thomas Bewick of Newcastle-on-Tyne be considered 
in the art of engraving on wood what Linneus will ever be 
in natural history, though not the founder, yet the en- 
lightened improver and illustrious promoter. 


PITTING OF THE WOLVES 


THERE seems to be a universal feeling of hostility among 
men against the Wolf, whose strength, agility, and cunning, 
which latter is scarcely inferior to that of his relative master 
Reynard, tend to render him an object of hatred, especially 
to the husbandman, on whose flocks he is ever apt to commit 
depredations. In America, where this animal was formerly 
abundant, and in many parts of which it still occurs in con- 
siderable numbers, it is not more mercifully dealt with than 
in other parts of the world. Traps and snares of all sorts 
are set for catching it, while dogs and horses are trained for 
hunting the Fox. The Wolf, however, unless in some way 
injured, being more powerful and perhaps better winded 
than the Fox, is rarely pursued with hounds or any other 
dogs in the open chase; but as his depredations are at times 
extensive and highly injurious to the farmer, the greatest 
exertions have been used to exterminate his race. Few in- 
stances have occurred among us of any attack made by 
Wolves on man, and only one has come under my own notice. 

Two young Negroes who resided near the banks of the 
Ohio, in the lower part of the State of Kentucky, about 
twenty-three years ago, had sweethearts living on a planta- 
tion ten miles distant. After the labours of the day were 
over, they frequently visited the fair ladies of their choice, 
the nearest way to whose dwelling lay directly across a great 
cane brake. As to the lover every moment is precious, they 
usually took this route, to save time. Winter had com- 
menced, cold, dark, and forbidding, and after sunset 
scarcely a glimpse of light or glow of warmth, one might 
imagine, could be found in that dreary swamp, excepting in 


the eyes and bosoms of the ardent youths, or the hungry 
299 | 


300 PITTING OF THE WOLVES 


Wolves that prowled about. The snow covered the earth, 
and rendered them more easy to be scented from a distance 
by the famished beasts. Prudent in a certain degree, the 
young lovers carried their axes on their shoulders, and 
walked as briskly as the narrow path would allow. Some 
transient glimpses of light now and then met their eyes, 
but so faint were they that they believed them to be caused 
by their faces coming in contact with the slender reeds 
covered with snow. Suddenly, however, a long and fright- 
ful howl burst upon them, and they instantly knew that it 
proceeded from a troop of hungry, perhaps desperate 
Wolves. They stopped, and putting themselves in an atti- 
tude of defence, awaited the result. All around was dark, 
save a few feet of snow, and the silence of night was dis- 
mal. Nothing could be done to better their situation, and 
after standing a few minutes in expectation of an attack, 
they judged it best to resume their march; but no sooner had 
they replaced their axes on their shoulders, and begun to 
move, than the foremost found himself assailed by several 
foes. His legs were held fast as if pressed by a powerful 
screw, and the torture inflicted by the fangs of the ravenous 
animal was for a moment excruciating. Several Wolves in 
the mean time sprung upon the breast of the other Negro, 
and dragged him to the ground. Both struggled manfully 
against their foes; but in a short time one of them ceased 
to move, and the other, reduced in strength, and perhaps 
despairing of maintaining his ground, still more of aiding 
his unfortunate companion, sprung to the branch of a tree, 
and speedily gained a place of safety near the top. ‘The 
next morning, the mangled remains of his comrade lay scat- 
tered around on the snow, which was stained with blood. 
Three dead Wolves lay around, but the rest of the pack had 
disappeared, and Scipio, sliding to the ground, took up the 
axes, and made the best of his way home, to relate the sad 
adventure. 

About two years after this occurrence, as I was travelling 


PITTING OF THE WOLVES 301 


between Henderson and Vincennes, I chanced to stop for the 
night at a farmer’s house by the side of aroad. After put- 
ting up my horse and refreshing myself, I entered into con- 
versation with mine host, who asked if I should like to pay a 
visit to the wolf-pits, which were about half a mile distant. 
Glad of the opportunity I accompanied him across the fields 
to the neighbourhood of a deep wood, and soon saw the en- 
gines of destruction. He had three pits, within a few hun- 
dred yards of each other. They were about eight feet deep, 
and broader at bottom, so as to render it impossible for the 
most active animal to escape from them. The aperture was 
covered with a revolving platform of twigs, attached to a 
central axis. On either surface of the platform was fas- 
tened a large piece of putrid venison, with other matters by 
no means pleasant to my olfactory nerves, although no doubt 
attractive to the Wolves. My companion wished to visit 
them that evening, merely as he was in the habit of doing so 
daily, for the purpose of seeing that all was right. He said 
that Wolves were very abundant that autumn, and had 
killed nearly the whole of his sheep and one of his colts, but 
that he was now “paying them off in full;” and added that if 
I would tarry a few hours with him next morning, he would 
beyond a doubt shew me some sport rarely seen in those 
parts. We retired to rest in due time, and were up with 
the dawn. 

“T think,” said my host, “that all’s right, for I see the 
dogs are anxious to get away to the pits, and although they 
are nothing but curs, their noses are none the worse for 
that.” As he took up his gun, an axe and a large knife, 
the dogs began to howl and bark, and whisked around us, as 
if full of joy. When we reached the first pit, we found the 
bait all gone, and the platform much injured; but the ani- 
mal that had been entrapped had scraped a subterranean 
passage for himself and so escaped. On peeping into the 
next, he assured me that “three famous fellows were safe 
enough” in it. I also peeped in and saw the Wolves, two 


302 PITTING OF THE WOLVES 


black, and the other brindled, all of goodly size, sure enough. 
They lay flat on the earth, their ears laid close over the head, 
their eyes indicating fear more than anger. ‘But how are 
we to get them out?”— “How sir,” said the farmer, “why 
by going down to be sure, and ham-stringing them.” Being 
a novice in these matters, I begged to be merely a looker-on. 
“With all my heart,” quoth the farmer, “stand here, and 
Icok at me through the brush.”” Whereupon he glided down, 
taking with him his axe and knife, and leaving his rifle to my 
care. I was not a little surprised to see the cowardice of the 
Wolves. He pulled out successively their hind legs, and 
with a side stoke of the knife cut the principal tendon above 
the joint, exhibiting as little fear as if he had been marking 
lambs. 

“Lo!” exclaimed the farmer, when he had got out, “‘we 
have forgot the rope; I’ll go after it.” Off he went ac- 
cordingly, with as much alacrity as any youngster could 
shew. In a short time he returned out of breath, and wip- 
ing his forehead with the back of his hand—‘Now for it.” 
I was desired to raise and hold the platform on its central 
balance, whilst he, with all the dexterity of an Indian, threw 
a noose over the neck of one of the Wolves. We hauled it 
up motionless with fright, as if dead, its disabled legs swing- 
ing to and fro, its jaws wide open, and the gurgle in its 
throat alone indicating that it was alive. Letting him drop 
on the ground, the farmer loosened the rope by means of a 
stick, and left him to the dogs, all of which set upon him with 
great fury and soon worried him to death. The second was 
dealt with in the same manner; but the third, which was 
probably the oldest, as it was the blackest, shewed some 
spirit, the moment it was left loose to the mercy of the curs. 
This Wolf, which we afterwards found to be a female, 
scuffled along on its fore legs at a surprising rate, giving a 
snap every now and then to the nearest dog, which went off 
howling dismally with a mouthful of skin torn from its side. 


PITTING OF THE WOLVES 303 


And so well did the furious beast defend itself, that appre- 
hensive of its escape, the farmer levelled his rifle at it, and 
shot it through the heart, on which the curs rushed upon it, 


and satiated their vengeance on the destroyer of their mas- 
ter’s flock. 


A TOUGH WALK FOR A YOUTH 


Asout twelve years ago I was conveyed, along with my son 
Victor, from Bayou Sarah to the mouth of the Ohio, on board 
the steamer Magnet, commanded by Mr. M‘Knight, to whom 
I here again offer my best thanks for his attentions. The 
very sight of the waters of that beautiful river filled me with 
Joy as we approached the little village of Trinity, where we 
were landed along with several other passengers, the water 
being too low to enable the vessel to proceed to Louisville. 
No horses could be procured, and as I was anxious to con- 
tinue my journey without delay, I consigned my effects to 
the care of the tavern-keeper, who engaged to have them for- 
warded by the first opportunity. My son, who was not 
fourteen, with all the ardour of youth, considered himself 
able to accomplish on foot the long journey which we con- 
templated. Two of the passengers evinced a desire to ac- 
company us, “provided,” said the tallest and stoutest of 
them, “the lad can keep up. My business,” he continued, 
“is urgent, and I shall push for Frankfort pretty fast.” 
Dinner, to which we had contributed some fish from the 
river, being over, my boy and I took a ramble along the 
shores of Cash Creek, on which some years before I had been 
detained several weeks by ice. We slept at the tavern, and 
next morning prepared for our journey, and were joined by 
our companions, although it was past twelve before we 
crossed the creek. 

One of our fellow-travellers, named Rose, who was a deli- 
cate and gentlemanly person, acknowledged that he was not 
a good walker, and said he was glad that my son was with us, 
as he might be able to keep up with the lively youth. The 
other, a burly personage, at once pushed forward. We 

304 


A TOUGH WALK FOR A YOUTH 305 


walked in Indian file along the narrow track cut threugh 
the canes, passed a wood-yard, and entered the burnt forest, 
in which we met with so many logs and briars, that we 
judged it better to make for the river, the course of which 
we followed over a bed of pebbles, my son sometimes a-head, 
and again falling back, until we reached America, a village 
having a fine situation, but with a shallow approach to the 
shore. Here we halted at the best house, as every traveller 
ought to do, whether pedestrian or equestrian, for he is there 
sure of being well treated, and will not have more to pay 
than in an inferior place. Now we constituted Mr. Rose 
purser. We had walked twelve miles over rugged paths and 
pebbly shores, and soon proceeded along the edge of the 
river. Seven tough miles ended, we found a house near the 
bank, and in it we determined to pass the night. The first 
person we met with was a woman picking cotton in a small 
field. On asking her if we might stay in her cabin for the 
night, she answered we might, and hoped we could make a 
shift with the fare on which she and her husband lived. 
While she went to the house to prepare supper, I took my 
son and Mr. Rose to the water, knowing how much we should 
be refreshed by a bath. Our fellow-traveller refused, and 
stretched himself on a bench by the door. ‘The sun was set- 
ting; thousands of robins were flying southward in the calm 
and clear air; the Ohio was spread before us smooth as a 
mirror, and into its waters we leaped with pleasure. In a 
short time the good man of the hut called us to supper, and 
in a trice we were at his heels. He was a tall raw-boned 
fellow, with an honest bronzed face. After our frugal meal, 
we all four lay down in a large bed spread on the floor, while 
the good people went up to a loft. 

The woodsman having, agreeably to our instructions, 
roused us at day-break, told us that about seven miles 
farther we should meet with a breakfast much better than 
the last supper we had. He refused any pecuniary com- 
pensation, but accepted from me a knife. So we again 


306 A TOUGH WALK FOR A YOUTH 


started. My dear boy appeared very weak at first, but 
soon recovered, and our stout companion, whom I shall call 
S., evidently shewed symptoms of lassitude. On arriving at 
the cabin of a lazy man blessed with an industrious wife and 
six healthy children, all of whom laboured for his support, 
we were welcomed by the woman, whose motions and lan- 
guage indicated her right to belong to a much higher class. 
Better breakfast I never ate: the bread was made of new corn 
ground on a tin-grater by the beautiful hands of our blue- 
eyed hostess; the chickens had been prepared by one of her 
lovely daughters; some good coffee was added, and my son 
had fresh milk. The good woman, who now held a babe to 
her bosom, seemed pleased to see how heartily we all ate; the 
children went to work, and the lazy husband went to the door 
to smoke a corn-cob pipe. A dollar was put into the ruddy 
hand of the chubby urchin, and we bade its mother farewell. 
Again we trudged along the beach, but after a while betook 
ourselves to the woods. My son became faint. Dear boy! 
never can I forget how he lay exhausted on a log, large tears 
rolling down his cheeks. I bathed his temples, spoke sooth- 
ingly to him, and chancing to see a fine turkey cock run close 
by, directed his attention to it, when, as if suddenly re- 
freshed, he got up and ran a few yards towards the bird. 
From that moment he seemed to acquire new vigour, and at 
length we reached Wilcox’s, where we stopped for the night. 
We were reluctantly received at the house, and had little 
attention paid to us, but we had a meal and went to bed. 
The sun rose in all its splendour, and the Ohio reflected its 
ruddy beams. A finer view of that river can scarcely be 
obtained than that from the house which we were leaving. 
Two miles through intricate woods brought us to Belgrade, 
and having passed Fort Massacre, we halted and took break- 
fast. S. gave us to understand that the want of roads made 
travelling very unpleasant; he was not, he added, in the 
habit of “skulking through the bushes or tramping over 
stony bars in the full sunshine,” but how else he had travelled 


A TOUGH WALK FOR A YOUTH 307 


was not explained. Mr. Rose kept up about as well as 
Victor, and I now led the way. ‘Towards sunset we reached 
the shores of the river, opposite the mouth of the Cumber- 
land. On a hill, the property of a Major B., we found a 
house, and a solitary woman, wretchedly poor, but very 
kind. She assured us, that if we could not cross the river, 
she would give us food and shelter for the night, but said 
that as the moon was up, she could get us put over when her 
skiff came back. Hungry and fatigued we laid us down on 
the brown grass, waiting either a scanty meal, or the skiff 
that was to convey us across the river. I had already grated 
the corn for our supper, run down the chickens, and made a 
fire, when a cry of “Boat coming” roused us all. We 
crossed half of the Ohio, walked over Cumberland Isle, and 
after a short ferry found ourselves in Kentucky, the native 
land of my beloved sons. I was now within a few miles of 
the spot where, some years before, I had a horse killed under 
me by lightning. 

It is unnecessary to detain you with a long narrative, and 
state every occurrence until we reached the banks of Green 
River. We had left Trinity at 12 o’clock of the 15th Oc- 
tober, and on the morning of the 18th four travellers de- 
scending a hill were admiring the reflection of the sun’s rays 
on the forest-margined horizon. ‘The frost which lay thick 
on the ground and the fences, glittered in the sheen, and 
dissolved away; all nature seemed beautiful in its calm re- 
pose; but the pleasure which I felt on gazing on the scene 
was damped by the fatigue of my son, who now limped like 
a lamed turkey, although, as the rest of the party were not 
much better off, he smiled, straightened himself, and strove 
to keep up with us. Poor S. was panting many yards be- 
hind, and was talking of purchasing a horse. We had now, 
however, a tolerably good road, and in the evening got to a 
house where I inquired if we could have a supper and beds. 
When I came out, Victor was asleep on the grass, Mr. Rose 
looking at his sore toes, and S. just finishing a jug of monon- 


308 A TOUGH WALK FOR A YOUTH 


gahela. Here we resolved that, instead of going by Hender- 
son, we should take a cut across to the right, and made direct 
for Smith’s Ferry, by way of Highland Lick Creek. 

Next day we trudged along, but nothing very remarkable 
occurred excepting that we saw a fine black wolf quite tame 
and gentle, the owner of which had refused a hundred dollars 
for it. Mr. Rose, who was an engineer, and a man of taste, 
amused us with his flageolet, and frequently spoke of his 
wife, his children, and his fireside, which increased my good 
opinion of him. At an orchard we filled our pockets with 
October peaches, and when we came to Trade Water River 
we found it quite low. The acorns were already drifted on 
its shallows, and the Wood Ducks were running about pick- 
ing them up. Passing a flat bottom, we saw a large Buffalo 
Lick. Where now are the bulls which erst scraped its earth 
away, bellowing forth their love or their anger? 

Good Mr. Rose’s feet became sorer and sorer each succeed- 
ing day; Mr. S. at length nearly gave up; my son had grown 
brisker. ‘The 20th was cloudy, and we dreaded rain, as we 
knew the country to be flat and clayey. In Union County, 
we came to a large opening, and found the house of a Justice, 
who led us kindly to the main road, and accompanied us for 
a mile, giving us excellent descriptions of brooks, woods and 
barrens, notwithstanding which we should have been much 
puzzled, had not a neighbour on horseback engaged to shew 
us the way. The rain now fell in torrents, and rendered us 
very uncomfortable, but at length we reached Highland 
Lick, where we stumbled on a cabin, the door of which we 
thrust open, overturning a chair that had been placed be- 
hind it. On a dirty bed lay a man, a table with a journal or 
perhaps a ledger before him, a small cask in a corner near 
him, a brass pistol on a nail over his head, and a long Span- 
ish dagger by his side. He rose and asked what was wanted. 
“The way to a better place, the road to Suggs’s.” ‘“Fol- 
low the road, and you'll get to his house in about five miles!” 
My party were waiting for me, warming themselves by the 


A TOUGH WALK FOR A YOUTH 309 


fires of the salt-kettles. The being I had seen was an over- 
seer. By-and-by we crossed a creek; the country was hilly, 
clayey and slippery; Mr. 8S. was cursing, Rose limped like 
a lame duck, but Victor kept up like a veteran. 

Another day, kind Reader, and I shall for a while shut my 
journal. The morning of the 21st was beautiful; we had 
slept comfortably at Suggs’s, and we soon found ourselves 
on pleasant barrens, with an agreeable road. Rose and S. 
were so nearly knocked up, that they proposed to us to go on 
without them. We halted and talked a few minutes on the 
subject, when our companions stated their resolution to pro- 
ceed at a slower pace. So we bade them adieu. I asked my 
son how he felt; he laughed and quickened his steps; and in 
a short time our former associates were left out of sight. 
In about two hours we were seated in the Green River ferry- 
boat, with our legs hanging in the water. At Smith’s Ferry 
this stream looks like a deep lake; and the thick cane on its 
banks, the large overhanging willows, and its dark green 
waters, never fail to form a fine picture, more especially in 
the calm of an autumnal evening. Mr. Smith gave us a 
good supper, sparkling cider, and a comfortable bed. It 
was arranged that he should drive us to Louisville in his 
dearborne; and so here ended our walk of two hundred and 
fifty miles. Should you wish to accompany us during the 
remainder of our journey, I have only to refer you to the 
article “Hospitality in the Woods,” which you will find in 
a former volume. 


BREAKING UP OF THE ICE 


WuiteE proceeding up the Mississippi above its junction 
with the Ohio, I found, to my great mortification, that its 
navigation was obstructed by ice. The chief conductor of 
my bark, who was a Canadian Frenchman, was therefore de- 
sired to take us to a place suitable for winter-quarters, which 
he accordingly did, bringing us into a great bend of the river 
called Tawapatee Bottom. The waters were unusually low, 
the thermometer indicated excessive cold, the earth all 
around was covered with snow, dark clouds were spread over 
the heavens, and as all appearances were unfavourable to 
the hope of a speedy prosecution of our voyage, we quietly 
set to work. Our bark, which was a large keel-boat, was 
moored close to the shore, the cargo was conveyed to the 
woods, large trees were felled over the water, and were so 
disposed as to keep off the pressure of the floating masses 
of ice. In less than two days, our stores, baggage, and am- 
munition, were deposited in a great heap under one of the 
magnificent trees of which the forest was here composed, our 
sails were spread over all, and a complete camp was formed 
in the wilderness. Every thing around us seemed dreary 
and dismal, and had we not been endowed with the faculty 
of deriving pleasure from the examination of nature, we 
should have made up our minds to pass the time in a state 
similar to that of bears during their hybernation. We soon 
found employment, however, for the woods were full of 
game; and deer, turkeys, racoons, and opossums might be 
seen even around our camp; while on the ice that now covered 
the broad stream rested flocks of swans, to surprise which 
the hungry wolves were at times seen to make energetic but 
unsuccessful efforts. It was curious to see the snow-white 


birds all lying flat on the ice, but keenly intent on watching 
310 


BREAKING UP OF THE ICE 311 


the motions of their insidious enemies, until the latter ad- 
vanced within the distance of a few hundred yards, when the 
swans, sounding their trumpet-notes of alarm, would all 
rise, spread out their broad wings, and after running some 
yards and battering the ice until the noise was echoed like 
thunder through the woods, rose exultingly into the air, 
leaving their pursuers to devise other schemes for gratifying 
their craving appetites. 

The nights being extremely cold, we constantly kept up a 
large fire, formed of the best wood. Fine trees of ash and 
hickory were felled, cut up into logs of convenient size, and 
rolled into a pile, on the top of which, with the aid of twigs, 
a fire was kindled. There were about fifteen of us, some 
hunters, others trappers, and all more or less accustomed to 
live in the woods. At night, when all had returned from 
their hunting-grounds, some successful and others empty- 
handed, they presented a picture in the strong glare of the 
huge fire that illuminated the forest, which it might prove 
interesting to you to see, were it copied by a bold hand on 
canvas. Over a space of thirty yards or more, the snow 
was scraped away, and piled up into a circular wall, which 
protected us from the cold blast. Our cooking utensils 
formed no mean display, and before a week had elapsed, 
venison, turkeys, and racoons hung on the branches in pro- 
fusion. Fish, too, and that of excellent quality, often 
graced our board, having been obtained by breaking holes in 
the ice of the lakes. It was observed that the opossums is- 
sued at night from holes in the banks of the river, to which 
they returned about day-break; and having thus discovered 
their retreat, we captured many of them by means of snares. 

At the end of a fortnight our bread failed, and two of the 
_ party were directed to proceed across the bend, towards a 
village on the western bank of the Mississippi, in quest of 
that commodity; for although we had a kind of substitute 
for it in the dry white flesh of the breast of the wild turkey, 
bread is bread after all, and more indispensable to civilized 


312 BREAKING UP OF THE ICE 


man than any other article of food. The expedition left the 
camp early one morning; one of the party boasted much of 
his knowledge of woods, while the other said nothing, but 
followed. ‘They walked on all day, and returned next 
morning to the camp with empty wallets. The next at- 
tempt, however, succeeded, and they brought on a sledge a 
barrel of flour and some potatoes. After a while, we were 
joined by many Indians, the observation of whose manners 
afforded us much amusement. 

Six weeks were spent in Tawapatee Bottom. The waters 
had kept continually sinking, and our boat lay on her side 
high and dry. On both sides of the stream, the ice had 
broken into heaps, forming huge walls. Our pilot visited 
the river daily, to see what prospect there might be of a 
change. One night, while, excepting himself, all were sound 
asleep, he suddenly roused us with loud cries of “‘the ice is 
breaking! get up, get up, down to the boat lads, bring out 
your axes, hurry on, or we may lose her, here let us have a 
torch!” Starting up, as if we had been attacked by a band 
of savages, we ran pell-mell to the bank. ‘The ice was in- 
deed breaking up; it split with reports like those of heavy 
artillery, and as the water had suddenly risen from an over- 
flow of the Ohio, the two streams seemed to rush against each 
other with violence, in consequence of which the congealed 
mass was broken into large fragments, some of which rose 
nearly erect here and there, and again fell with thundering 
crash, as the wounded whale, when in the agonies of death, 
springs up with furious force, and again plunges into the 
foaming waters. ‘To our surprise the weather, which in the 
evening had been calm and frosty, had become wet and 
blowy. ‘The water gushed from the fissures formed in the 
ice, and the prospect was extremely dismal. When day 
dawned, a spectacle strange and fearful presented itself: 
the whole mass of water was violently agitated, its covering 
was broken into small fragments, and although not a foot 
of space was without ice, not a step could the most daring 


BREAKING UP OF THE ICE 313 


have ventured to make upon it. Our boat was in imminent 
danger, for the trees which had been placed to guard it from 
the ice were cut or broken into pieces, and were thrust 
against her. It was impossible to move her; but our pilot 
ordered every man to bring down great bunches of cane, 
which were lashed along her sides; and before these were de- 
stroyed by the ice, she was afloat and riding above it. 
While we were gazing on the scene, a tremendous crash was 
heard, which seemed to have taken place about a mile below, 
when suddenly the great dam of ice gave away. ‘The cur- 
rent of the Mississippi had forced its way against that of 
the Ohio; and in less than four hours, we witnessed the com- 
plete breaking up of the ice. 

During that winter, the ice was so thick on the Mississippi, 
that opposite St. Louis, horses and heavy waggons crossed 
the river. Many boats had been detained in the same man- 
ner as our own, so that provisions and other necessary arti- 
cles had become very scarce, and sold at a high price.’ This 
happened about twenty-eight years ago. 


1 Editor’s note. The incident referred to occurred in 1811, and the 
account was written in 1835. Audubon should have said twenty-four years 
ago, 


A MAPLE-SUGAR CAMP 


Wuite advancing the best way I could through the magnifi- 

cent woods that cover the undulating grounds in the vicin- 
ity of the Green River in Kentucky, I was overtaken by 
night. With slow and cautious steps I proceeded, feeling 
some doubt as to my course, when the moon came forth, as if 
purposely to afford me her friendly light. The air I 
thought was uncommonly keen, and the gentle breeze that 
now and then shook the tops of the tall trees, more than 
once made me think of halting for the night, and forming a 
camp. At times I thought of the campaigns of my old 
friend Daniel Boon, his strange adventures in these very 
woods, and the extraordinary walk which he performed to 
save his fellow-creatures at Fort Massacre from the scalping 
knives of the irritated Indians. Now and then a racoon 
or opossum, causing the fallen leaves to rustle, made me 
pause for a moment; and thus I was forcing my way, think- 
ing of many things dismal as well as pleasing, when the 
glimmer of a distant fire suddenly roused me from my 
reveries, and inspired me with fresh animation. As I ap- 
proached it, I observed forms of different kinds moving to 
and fro before it, like spectres; and ere long, bursts of 
laughter, shouts, and songs apprised me of some merry- 
making. I thought at first that I had probably stumbled 
upon a camp-meeting; but I soon perceived that the mirth 
proceeded from a band of sugar-makers. Every man, 
woman, and child stared as I passed them, but all were 
friendly, and, without more ceremony than was needful, I 
walked up to the fire, at which I found two or three old 
women, with their husbands, attending to the kettles. Their 
plain dresses of Kentucky homespun were far more pleasing 


to my sight than the ribboned turbans of city dames, or the 
314 


A MAPLE-SUGAR CAMP 315 


powdered wigs and embroidered waistcoats of antique beaux. 
I was heartily welcomed, and supplied with a goodly pone 
of bread, a plate of molasses, and some sweet potatoes. 

Fatigued with my long ramble, I lay down under the lee 
of the smoke, and soon fell into a sound sleep. When day 
returned, the frost lay thick around; but the party arose 
cheerful and invigorated, and after performing their ori- 
sons, resumed their labour. ‘The scenery around was most 
pleasing; the ground all round looked as if it had been 
cleared of underwood; the maples, straight and tall, seemed 
as if planted in rows; between them meandered several rills, 
which gently murmured as they hastened toward the larger 
stream; and as the sun dissolved the frozen dews, the few 
feathered songsters joined the chorus of the woodsmen’s 
daughters. Whenever a burst of laughter suddenly echoed 
through the woods, an Owl or Wild Turkey would respond 
to it, with a signal welcome to the young men of the party. 
With large ladles the sugar-makers stirred the thickening 
juice of the maple; pails of sap were collected from the 
trees and brought in by the young people; while here and 
there some sturdy fellow was seen first hacking a cut in a 
tree, and afterwards boring with an auger a hole, into which 
he introduced a piece of hollow cane, by which the sap was 
to be drained off. About half a dozen men had felled a 
noble yellow poplar, and sawed its great trunk into many 
pieces, which, after being split, they were scooping into 
troughs to be placed under the cane-corks, to receive the 
maple juice. 

Now, good Reader, should you ever chance to travel 
through the maple grounds that lie near the banks of that 
lovely stream the Green River of Kentucky, either in Janu- 
ary or in March, or through those on the broader Mononga- 
hela in April; nay, should you find yourself by the limpid 
streamlets that roll down the declivities of the Pocano Moun- 
tains to join the Lehigh, and there meet with a sugar-camp, 
take my advice and tarry for a while. If you be on foot or 


316 A MAPLE-SUGAR CAMP 


on horseback, and are thirsty, you can nowhere find a more 
wholesome or more agreeable beverage than the juice of the 
maple. A man when in the Floridas may drink molasses 
diffused in water; in Labrador he may drink what he can 
get; and at New York or Philadelphia he may drink what 
he chooses ; but in the woods a draught from the sugar-maple 
is delicious and most refreshing. How often, when travel- 
ling, have I quenched my thirst with the limpid juice of the 
recelving troughs, from which I parted with regret; nay, 
even my horse, I have thought, seemed to desire to linger as 
long as he could. 

But let me endeavour to describe to you the manner in 
which the sugar is obtained. ‘The trees that yield it (Acer 
saccharinum) are found more or less abundantly in all parts 
of the Union from Louisiana to Maine, growing on elevated 
rich grounds. An incision is made into the trunk, at a 
height of from two to six feet; a pipe of cane or of any other 
kind is thrust into the aperture; a trough is placed beneath 
and receives the juice, which trickles by drops, and is as 
limpid as the purest spring water. When all the trees of a 
certain space have been tapped, and the troughs filled, the 
people collect the juice, and pour it into large vessels. A 
camp has already been pitched in the midst of a grove, sev- 
eral iron boilers have been fixed on stone or brick supports, 
and the business proceeds with vigour. At times several 
neighbouring families join, and enjoy the labour as if it 
were a pastime, remaining out day and night for several 
weeks; for the troughs and kettles must be attended to from 
the moment when they are first put in requisition until the 
sugar is produced. ‘The men and boys perform the most 
laborious part of the business, but the women and girls are 
not less busy. 

It takes ten gallons of sap to produce a pound of fine- 
grained sugar; but an inferior kind in lumps, called cake- 
sugar, is obtained in greater quantity. When the season is 
far advanced, the juice will no longer grain by boiling, and 


A MAPLE-SUGAR CAMP 317 


only produces a syrup. I have seen maple sugar so good, 
that some months after it was manufactured it resembled 
candy ; and well do I remember the time when it was an ar- 
ticle of commerce throughout Kentucky, where, twenty-five 
or thirty years ago, it sold at from 614 to 1214 cents per 
pound, according to its quality, and was daily purchased 
in the markets or stores. 

Trees that have been thus bored rarely last many years; 
for the cuts and perforations made in their trunks injure 
their health, so that after some years of weeping they be- 
come sickly, exhibit monstrosities about their lower parts, 
gradually decay, and at length die. I have no doubt, how- 
ever that, with proper care, the same quantity of sap might 
be obtained with less injury to the trees; and it is now fully 
time that the farmers and land-owners should begin to look 
to the preservation of their sugar-maples. 


THE OPOSSUM 


Tus singular animal is found more or less abundant in most 
parts of the Southern, Western, and Middle States of the 
Union. It is the Didelphis virginiana of Pennant, Harlan, 
and other authors who have given some account of its habits ; 
but as none of them, so far as I know, have illustrated its 
propensity to dissimulate, and as I have had opportunities 
of observing its manners, I trust that a few particulars of 
its biography will prove amusing. 

The opossum is fond of secluding itself during the day, 
although it by no means confines its predatory rangings to 
the night. Like many other quadrupeds which feed prin- 
cipally on flesh, it is also both frugivorous and herbivorous, 
and, when very hard pressed by hunger, it seizes various 
kinds of insects and reptiles. Its gait, while travelling, and 
at a time when it supposes itself unobserved, is altogether 
ambling: in other words, it, like a young foal, moves the two 
legs of one side forward at once. ‘The Newfoundland dog 
manifests a similar propensity. Having a constitution as 
hardy as that of the most northern animals, it stands the 
coldest weather, and does not hybernate, although its cov- 
ering of fur and hair may be said to be comparatively scanty 
even during winter. The defect, however, seems to be com- 
pensated by a skin of considerable thickness, and a general 
subcutaneous layer of fat. Its movements are usually 
rather slow, and as it walks or ambles along, its curious pre- 
hensile tail is carried just above the ground, its rounded ears 
are directed forward, and at almost every step its pointed 
nose is applied to the objects beneath it in order to discover 
what sort of creatures may have crossed its path. Methinks 
I see one at this moment slowly and cautiously trudging 


over the melting snows by the side of an unfrequented pond, 
318 


THE OPOSSUM 319 


nosing as it goes for the fare its ravenous appetite prefers. 
Now it has come upon the fresh track of a grouse or hare, 
and it raises its snout and snuffs the keen air. At length it 
has decided on its course, and it speeds onward at the rate 
of a man’s ordinary walk. It stops and seems at a loss in 
what direction to go, for the object of its pursuit has either 
taken a considerable leap, or has cut backwards before the 
opossum entered its track. It raises itself up, stands for a 
while on its hind feet, looks around, snuffs the air again, and 
then proceeds ; but now, at the foot of a noble tree, it comes 
to a full stand. It walks round the base of the huge trunk, 
over the snow-covered roots, and among them finds an aper- 
ture, which it at once enters. Several minutes elapse, when 
it re-appears, dragging along a squirrel already deprived of 
life, with which in its mouth it begins to ascend the tree. 
Slowly it climbs. The first fork does not seem to suit it, for 
perhaps it thinks it might there be too openly exposed to the 
view of some wily foe, and so it proceeds, until it gains a 
cluster of branches intertwined with grape-vines, and there 
composing itself, it twists its tail round one of the twigs, and 
with its sharp teeth demolishes the unlucky squirrel, which 
it holds all the while with its fore paws. 

The pleasant days of spring have arrived, and the trees 
vigorously shoot forth their buds; but the opossum is almost 
bare, and seems nearly exhausted by hunger. It visits the 
margins of creeks, and is pleased to see the young frogs, 
which afford it a tolerable repast. Gradually the poke- 
berry and the nettle shoot up, and on their tender and juicy 
stems it gladly feeds. ‘The matin calls of the Wild Turkey 
Cock delight the ear of the cunning creature, for it well 
knows that it will soon hear the female, and trace her to her 
nest, when it will suck the eggs with delight. Travelling 
through the woods, perhaps on the ground, perhaps aloft, 
from tree to tree, it hears a cock crow, and its heart swells 
as it remembers the savoury food on which it regaled itself 
Jast summer in the neighbouring farm-yard. With great 


320 THE OPOSSUM 


care, however, it advances, and at last conceals itself in the 
very hen-house. 

Honest farmer! why did you kill so many crows last win- 
ter? aye, and ravens too? Well, you have had your own 
way of it; but now hie to the village and procure a store of 
ammunition, clean your rusty gun, set your traps, and teach 
your lazy curs to watch the opossum. ‘There it comes! 
The sun is scarcely down, but the appetite of the prowler is 
keen; hear the screams of one of your best chickens that has 
been seized by him! The cunning beast is off with it, and 
nothing now can be done, unless you stand there to watch the 
fox or the owl, now exulting in the thought that you have 
killed their enemy and your own friend, the poor crow. 
That precious hen under which you last week placed a dozen 
egos or SO, is now deprived of them. The opossum, notwith- 
standing her angry outcries and rufflings of feathers, has 
removed them one by one; and now, look at the poor bird as 
she moves across your yard; if not mad, she is at least stupid, 
for she scratches here and there, calling to her chickens all 
the while. All this comes from your shooting crows. Had 
you been more merciful or more prudent, the opossum might 
have been kept within the woods, where it would have been 
satisfied with a squirrel, a young hare, the eggs of a Turkey, 
or the grapes that so profusely adorn the boughs of our 
forest trees. But I talk to you in vain. 

There cannot be a better exemplification of maternal ten- 
derness than the female opposum. Just peep into that curi- 
ous sack in which the young are concealed, each attached to 
ateat. 'The kind mother not only nourishes them with care, 
but preserves them from their enemies; she moves with them 
as the shark does with its progeny, and now, aloft on the 
tulip tree, she hides among the thick foliage. By the end of 
two months they begin to shift for themselves; each has been 
taught its particular lesson, and must now practise it. 

But suppose the farmer has surprised an Opossum in the 
act of killing one of his best fowls. His angry feelings urge 


THE OPOSSUM 321 


him to kick the poor beast, which, conscious of its inability 
to resist, rolls off like a ball. The more the farmer rages, 
the more reluctant is the animal to manifest resentment; at 
last there it lies, not dead, but exhausted, its jaws open, its 
tongue extended, its eye dimmed; and there it would lie until 
the bottle-fly should come to deposit its eggs, did not its tor- 
mentor at length walk off. “Surely,” says he to himself, 
“the beast must be dead.” But no, reader, it is only “ ’pos- 
suming,” and no sooner has its enemy withdrawn, than it 
gradually gets on its legs, and once more makes for the 
woods. 

Once, while descending the Mississippi, in a sluggish flat- 
bottomed boat, expressly for the purpose of studying those 
objects of nature more nearly connected with my favourite 
pursuits, I chanced to meet with two well-grown Opossums, 
and brought them alive to the “ark.” The poor things were 
placed on the roof or deck, and were immediately assailed by 
the crew, when, following their natural instinct, they lay as 
if quite dead. An experiment was suggested, and both were 
thrown overboard. On striking the water, and for a few 
moments after, neither evinced the least disposition to move ; 
but finding their situation desperate, they began to swim 
towards our uncouth rudder, which was formed of a long 
slender tree, extending from the middle of the boat thirty 
feet beyond its stern. ‘They both got upon it, were taken 
up, and afterwards let loose in their native woods. 

In the year 1829, I was in a portion of Lower Louisiana, 
where the Opossum abounds at all seasons, and having been 
asked by the President and the Secretary of the Zoological 
Society of London, to forward live animals of this species 
to them, I offered a price a little above the common, and soon 
found myself plentifully supplied, twenty-five having been 
brought tome. I found them excessively voracious, and not 
less cowardly. They were put into a large box, with a great 
quantity of food, and conveyed to a steamer bound for New 
Orleans. Two days afterwards, I went to the city, to see 


322 THE OPOSSUM 


about sending them off to Europe; but, to my surprise, I 
found that the old males had destroyed the younger ones, 
and eaten off their heads, and that only sixteen remained 
alive. A separate box was purchased for each, and some 
time after they reached my friends the Rathbones of Liver- 
pool, who, with their usual attention, sent them off to Lon- 
don, where, on my return, I saw a good number of them in 
the Zoological Gardens. 

This animal is fond of grapes, of which a species now 
bears his name. Persimons are greedily eaten by it, and in 
severe weather I have observed it eating lichens. Fowls of 
every kind, and quadrupeds less powerful than itself, are 
also its habitual prey. 

The flesh of the Opossum resembles that of a young pig, 
and would perhaps be as highly prized, were it not for the 
prejudice generally entertained against it. Some “very 
particular” persons, to my knowledge, have pronounced it 
excellent eating. After cleaning its body, suspend it for a 
whole week in the frosty air, for it is not eaten in summer; 
then place it on a heap of hot wood embers; sprinkle it when 
cooked with gunpowder ; and now tell me, good reader, does 
it not equal the famed Canvas-back Duck? Should you 
visit any of our markets, you may see it there in company 
with the best game. | | 


A LONG CALM AT SEA 


On the 17th of May 1826, I left New Orleans on board the 
ship Delos, commanded by Joseph Hatch, Esq. of Kenne- 
bunk, bound for Liverpool. The steamer Hercules, which 
towed the ship, left us several miles outside the Balize, about 
ten hours after our departure; but there was not a breath of 
wind, the waters were smoother than the prairies of the Op- 
pelousas, and notwithstanding our great display of canvas, 
we lay, like a dead whale, floating at the mercy of the cur- 
rents. ‘The weather was uncommonly fair, and the heat ex- 
cessive; and in this helpless state we continued for many 
days. About the end of a week we had lost sight of the Bal- 
ize, although I was assured by the commander, that all this 
while the ship had rarely answered the helm. ‘The sailors 
whistled for wind, and raised their hands in all directions, 
anxious as they were to feel some motion in the air; but all 
to no purpose; it was a dead calm, and we concluded that 
AXolus had agreed with Neptune to detain us, until our pa- 
tience should be fairly tried, or our sport exhausted; for 
sport we certainly had, both on board and around the ship. 
I doubt if I can better contribute to your amusement at 
present, than by giving you a short account of the occur- 
rences that took place, during this sleepy fit of the being on 
whom we depended for our progress toward merry England. 

Vast numbers of beautiful dolphins glided by the side of 
the vessel, glancing like burnished gold through the day, and 
gleaming like meteors by night. The captain and his mates 
were expert at alluring them with baited hooks, and not less 
so at piercing them with a five-pronged instrument, which 
they called grains; and I was delighted with the sport, be- 


cause it afforded me an opportunity of observing and noting 
323 


324 A LONG CALM AT SEA 


some of the habits of this beautiful fish, as well as several 
other kinds. 

On being hooked, the Dolphin flounces vigorously, shoots 
off with great impetuosity to the very end of the line, when, 
being suddenly checked, it often rises perpendicularly sev- 
eral feet out of the water, shakes itself violently in the air, 
gets disentangled, and thus escapes. But when well secured, 
it is held in play for a while by the experienced fisher, soon 
becomes exhausted, and is hauled on board. Some persons 
prefer pulling them in at once, but they seldom succeed, as 
the force with which the fish shakes itself on being raised out 
of the water, is generally sufficient to enable it to extricate 
itself. Dolphins move in shoals, varying from four or five to 
twenty or more, hunting in packs in the waters, as wolves 
pursue their prey on land. The object of their pursuit is 
generally the Flying-fish, now and then the Bonita; and 
when nothing better can be had, they will follow the little 
Rudder-fish, and seize it immediately under the stern of the 
ship. ‘The Flying-fishes, after having escaped for a while 
by dint of their great velocity, but on being again ap- 
proached by the Dolphin, emerge from the waters, and 
spreading their broad wing-like fins, sail through the air and 
disperse in all directions, like a covey of timid partridges 
before the rapacious falcon. Some pursue a direct course, 
others diverge on either side; but in a short time they all 
drop into their natural element. While they are travelling 
in the air, their keen and hungry pursuer, like a greyhound, 
follows in their wake, and performing a succession of leaps, 
many feet in extent, rapidly gains upon the quarry, which 
is often seized just as it falls into the sea. 

Dolphins manifest a very remarkable sympathy with each 
other. The moment one of them is hooked or grained, those 
in company make up to it, and remain around until the un- 
fortunate fish is pulled on board, when they generally move 
off together, seldom biting at any thing thrown out to them. 
This, however, is the case only with the larger individuals, 


A LONG CALM AT SEA 325 


which keep apart from the young, in the same manner as is 
observed in several species of birds; for when the smaller 
Dolphins are in large shoals, they all remain under the bows 
of a ship, and bite in succession at any sort of line, as if 
determined to see what has become of their lost companions, 
in consequence of which they are often all caught. 

You must not suppose that the Dolphin is without its en- 
emies. Who, in this world, man or fish, has not enough of 
them? Often it conceives itself on the very eve of swallow- 
ing a fish, which, after all, is nothing but a piece of lead, 
with a few feathers fastened to it, to make it look like a 
flying-fish, when it is seized and severed in two by the in- 
sidious Balacouda, which I have once seen to carry off by 
means of its sharp teeth, the better part of a Dolphin that 
was hooked, and already hoisted to the surface of the water. 

The Dolphins caught in the Gulf of Mexico during this 
calm were suspected to be poisonous; and to ascertain 
whether this was really the case, our cook, who was an Af- 
rican Negro, never boiled or fried one without placing beside 
it a dollar. If the silver was not tarnished by the time the 
Dolphin was ready for the table, the fish was presented to 
the passengers, with an assurance that it was perfectly good. 
But as not a single individual of the hundred that we caught 
had the property of converting silver into copper, I suspect 
that our African sage was no magician. 

One morning, that of the 22d of June, the weather sultry, 
I was surprised, on getting out of my hammock, which was 
slung on deck, to find the water all around swarming with 
Dolphins, which were sporting in great glee. The sailors 
assured me that this was a certain “token of wind,” and, as 
they watched the movement of the fishes, added, “aye, and of 
a fair breeze too.” I caught several Dolphins in the course 
of an hour, after which scarcely any remained about the 
ship. Nota breath of air came to our relief all that day, no, 
nor even the next. ‘The sailors were in despair, and I would 
probably have become despondent also, had not my spirits 


326 A LONG CALM AT SEA 


been excited by finding a very large Dolphin on my hook. 
When I had hauled it on board, I found it to be the largest 
I had ever caught. It was a magnificent creature. See 
how it quivers in the agonies of death! its tail flaps the hard 
deck, producing a sound like the rapid roll of adrum. How 
beautiful the changes of its colours! Now it is blue, now 
green, silvery, golden, and burnished copper ; now it presents 
a blaze of all the hues of the rainbow intermingled; but, 
alack! it is dead, and the play of its colours is no longer 
seen. It has settled into the deep calm that has paralysed 
the energies of the blustering winds, and smoothed down the 
proud waves of the ocean. | 

The best bait for the Dolphin is a long strip of shark’s 
flesh. I think it generally prefers this to the semblance of 
a flying-fish, which indeed it does not often seize unless when 
the ship is under weigh, and it is made to rise to the surface. 
There are times, however, when hunger and the absence of 
their usual food, will induce the Dolphins to dash at any 
sort of bait; and I have seen some caught by means of a 
piece of white linen fastened to a hook. Their appetite is as 
keen as that of the Vulture, and whenever a good opportun- 
ity occurs, they gorge themselves to such a degree that they 
become an easy prey to their enemies the Balacouda and the 
Bottle-nosed Porpoise. One that had been grained while 
lazily swimming immediately under the stern of our ship, 
was found to have its stomach completely crammed with 
flying-fish, all regularly disposed side by side, with their tails 
downwards,—by which I mean to say that the Dolphin al- 
ways swallows its prey tail foremost. 'They looked in fact 
like so many salted herrings packed in a box, and were to 
the number of twenty-two, each six or seven inches in length. 

The usual length of the Dolphins caught in the Gulf of 
Mexico is about three feet, and I saw none that exceeded four 
feet two inches. ‘The weight of one of the latter size was 
only eighteen pounds; for this fish is extremely narrow in 
proportion to its length, although rather deep in its form. 


A LONG CALM AT SEA 327 


When just caught, the upper fin, which reaches from the 
forehead to within a short distance of the tail, is of fine dark 
blue. The upper part of the body in its whole length is 
azure, and the lower parts are of a golden hue, mottled ir- 
regularly with deep blue spots. It seems that they at times 
enter very shallow water, as in the course of my last voyage 
along the Florida coast, some were caught in a seine, along 
with their kinsman the “Cavalier,” of which I shall speak 
elsewhere. 

The flesh of the Dolphin is rather firm, very white, and 
lies in flakes when cooked. The first caught are generally 
eaten with great pleasure, but when served many days in suc- 
cession, they become insipid. It is not, as.an article of food, 
equal to the Balacouda, which is perhaps as good as any fish 
caught in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. 


STILL BECALMED 


On the 4th of June we were still in the same plight, although 
the currents of the Gulf had borne us to a great distance 
from the place where, as I have informed you, we had amused 
ourselves with catching Dolphins. These currents are cer- 
tainly very singular, for they carried us hither and thither, 
at one time rendering us apprehensive of drifting on the 
coast of Florida, at another threatening to send us.to Cuba. 
Sometimes a slight motion in the air revived our hopes, 
swelled our sails a little, and carried us through the smooth 
waters like a skater gliding on ice; but in a few hours it was 
again a dead calm. 

One day several small birds, after alighting on the spars, 
betook themselves to the deck. One of them, a female Rice 
Bunting, drew our attention more particularly, for, a few 
moments after her arrival, there came down, as if in her 
wake, a beautiful Peregrine Falcon. The plunderer hov- 
ered about for a while, then stationed himself on the end of 
one of the yard-arms, and suddenly pouncing on the little 
gleaner of the meadows, clutched her and carried her off in 
exultation. But, Reader, mark the date, and judge besides 
of my astonishment when I saw the Falcon feeding on the 
Finch while on wing, precisely with the same ease and com- 
posure as the Mississippi Kite might shew while devouring 
high in air a Red-throated Lizard, swept from one of the 
magnificent trees of the Louisiana woods. 

There was a favourite pet on board, belonging to our Cap- 
tain, and which was nothing more nor less than the female 
companion of a cock, in other words, a common hen. Some 
liked her because she now and then dropped a fresh egg,— 
a rare article at sea, even on board the Delos; others, be- 


cause she exhibited a pleasing simplicity of character ; others 
328 


STILL BECALMED 329 


again, because, when they had pushed her overboard, it gave 
them pleasure to see the poor thing in terror strike with her 
feet, and strive to reach her floating home, which she would 
never have accomplished, however, had it not been for the 
humane interference of our Captain, Mr. Joseph Hatch of 
Kennebunk. Kind, good-hearted man! when, several weeks 
after, the same pet hen accidentally flew overboard, as we 
were scudding along at a furious rate, I thought I saw a tear 
stand in his eye, as she floated panting in our wake.—But as 
yet we are becalmed, and heartily displeased at old Afolus 
for overlooking us. | 

One afternoon we caught two sharks. In one of them, a 
female, about seven feet long, we found ten young ones, all 
alive, and quite capable of swimming, as we proved by ex- 
periment; for, on casting one of them into the sea, it immedi- 
ately made off, as if it had been accustomed to shift for it- 
self. Of another, that had been cut in two, the head half 
swam off out of our sight. The rest were cut in pieces, as 
was the old shark, as bait for the dolphins, which I have 
already said are fond of such food. 

Our captain, who was much intent on amusing me, in- 
formed me that the rudder-fishes were plentiful astern, and 
immediately set to dressing hooks for the purpose of catch- 
ing them. ‘There was now some air above us, the cotton 
sheets aloft bulged out, the ship moved through the water, 
and the captain and I repaired to the cabin window. I was 
furnished with a fine hook, a thread line, and some small 
bits of bacon, as was the captain, and we dropped out bait 
among the myriads of delicate little fishes below. Up they 
came, one after another, so fast in succession, that, accord- 
ing to my journal, we caught three hundred and seventy in 
about two hours. What a mess! and how delicious when 
roasted! If ever I am again becalmed in the Gulf of Mex- 
ico, I shall not forget the rudder-fish. The little things 
scarcely measured three inches in length; they were thin and 
deep in form, and afforded excellent eating. It was curi- 


330 STILL BECALMED 


ous to see them keep to the lee of the rudder in compact 
body; and so voracious were they, that they actually leaped 
out of the water at the sight of the bait, as “‘sunnies” are 
occasionally wont to do in our rivers. But the very instant 
that the ship became still, they dispersed around her sides, 
and would no longer bite. I made a figure of one of them, as 
indeed I tried to do of every other species that occurred dur- 
ing this death-like calm. Not one of these fishes did I ever 
see when crossing the Atlantic, although many kinds at times 
come close to the stern of any vessel in the great sea, and are 
called by the same name. 

Another time we caught a fine Porpoise, which measured 
about two yards in length. This took place at night, when 
the light of the moon afforded me a clear view of the spot. 
The fish, contrary to custom, was grained, instead of being 
harpooned ; but in such a way and so effectually, through the 
forehead, that it was thus held fast, and allowed to flounce 
and beat about the bows of the ship, until the person who had 
struck it gave the line holding the grains to the Captain, 
slided down along the bob-stays with a rope, and after a 
while managed to secure it by the tail. Some of the crew 
then hoisted it on board. When it arrived on deck, it gave 
a deep groan, flapped with great force, and soon expired. 
On opening it next morning, eight hours after death, we 
found its intestines still warm. 'They were arranged in the 
same manner as those of a pig; the paunch contained several 
cuttlefishes partially digested. The lower jaw extended 
beyond the upper about three-fourths of an inch, and both 
were furnished with a single row of conical teeth, about half 
an inch long, and just so far separated as to admit those of 
one jaw between the corresponding ones of the other. The 
animal might weigh about four hundred pounds; its eyes 
were extremely small, its flesh was considered delicate by 
some on board; but in my opinion, if it be good, that of a 
large alligator is equally so; and on neither do I intend to 
feast for some time. The Captain told me that he had seen 


STILL BECALMED 331 


these Porpoises leap at times perpendicularly out of the 
water to the height of several feet, and that small boats have 
now and then been sunk by their falling into them, when 
engaged with their sports. 

During all this time flocks of Pigeons were crossing the 
Gulf, between Cuba and the Floridas; many a Rose-breasted 
Gull played around by day ; Noddies alighted on the rigging 
by night; and now and then, the Frigate bird was observed 
ranging high over head in the azure of the cloudless sky. 

The directions of the currents were tried, and our Cap- 
tain, who had an extraordinary genius for mechanics, was 
frequently employed in turning powder horns and other 
articles. So calm and sultry was the weather that we had a 
large awning spread, under which we took our meals, and 
spent the night. At length we got so wearied of it, that 
the very sailors I thought seemed disposed to leap overboard, 
and swim to land. But at length, on the thirty-seventh day 
after our departure, a smart breeze overtook us. Presently 
there was an extraordinary bustle on board; about twelve the 
Tortugas light-house bore north of us, and in a few hours 
more we gained the Atlantic. Afolus had indeed awakened 
from his long sleep; and on the nineteenth day after leaving 
the Capes of Florida, I was landed at Liverpool. 


NATCHEZ IN 1820 


One clear frosty morning in December I approached in my 
flat-boat the City of Natchez. ‘The shores were crowded 
with boats of various kinds, laden with the produce of the 
western country; and there was a bustle about them, such as 
you might see at a general fair, each person being intent on 
securing the advantage of a good market. Yet the scene 
was far from being altogether pleasing, for I was yet “under 
the hill;” but on removing from the lower town, I beheld the 
cliffs on which the city, properly so called, has been built. 
Vultures unnumbered flew close along the ground on ex- 
panded pinions, searching for food; large pines and superb 
magnolias here and there raised their evergreen tops to- 
ward the skies; while on the opposite shores of the Missis- 
sippi, vast alluvial beds stretched along, and the view term- 
inated with the dense forest. Steamers moved rapidly on 
the broad waters of the great stream; the sunbeams fell with 
a peculiarly pleasant effect on the distant objects; and as I 
watched the motions of the White-headed Eagle while pur- 
suing the Fishing Hawk, I though of the wonderful ways of 
that Power to whom I too owe my existence. 

Before reaching the land I had observed that several saw- 
mills were placed on ditches or narrow canals, along which 
the water rushed from the inner swamps towards the river, 
and by which the timber is conveyed to the shore; and on in- 
quiring afterwards, I found that one of those temporary 
establishments had produced a net profit of upwards of 
six thousand dollars in a single season. 

There is much romantic scenery about Natchez. The 
Lower Town forms a most remarkable contrast with the 
Upper, for in the former the houses were not regularly built, 


being generally dwellings formed of the abandoned flat 
332 


NATCHEZ IN 1820 333 


boats, placed in rows as if with the view of forming a long 
street. The inhabitants formed a medley which it is beyond 
my power to describe; hundreds of laden carts and other 
vehicles jogged along the declivity between the two towns; 
but when, by a very rude causeway, I gained the summit, I 
was relieved by the sight of an avenue of those beautiful trees 
called here the Pride of China. In the Upper Town I found 
the streets all laid off at right angles to each ‘other, and 
tolerably well lined with buildings, constructed with painted 
bricks or boards. The agricultural richness of the sur- 
rounding country was shewn by the heaps of cotton bales and 
other produce that encumbered the streets. ‘The churches, 
however, did not please me; but as if to make up for this, 
I found myself unexpectedly accosted by my relative Mr. 
Berthoud, who presented me with letters from my wife and 
sons. ‘These circumstances put me in high spirits, and we 
proceeded towards the best hotel in the place, that of Mr. 
Garnier. The house, which was built on the Spanish plan, 
and of great size, was surrounded by large verandas over- 
looking a fine garden, and stood at a considerable distance 
from any other. At this period the City of Natchez had a 
population not exceeding three thousand individuals. I 
have not visited it often since, but I have no doubt that, like 
all the other towns in the western district of our country, it 
has greatly increased. It possessed a bank, and the mail 
arrived there thrice in the week from all parts of the Union. 

The first circumstance that strikes a stranger is the mild- 
ness of the temperature. Several vegetables as pleasing to 
the eye as agreeable to the palate, and which are seldom seen 
in our eastern markets before May, were here already in 
perfection. 'The Pewee Fly-catcher had chosen the neigh- 
bourhood of the city for its winter quarters, and our de- 
servedly famed Mocking Bird sang and danced gratis to 
every passer by. I was surprised to see the immense number 
of Vultures that strode along the streets, or slumbered on 
the roofs. ‘The country for many miles inland is gently 


334 NATCHEZ IN 1820 


undulated. Cotton is produced abundantly, and wealth and 
happiness have taken up their abode under most of the 
planters’ roofs, beneath which the wearied traveller or the 
poor wanderer in search of a resting place, is sure to meet 
with comfort and relief. Game is abundant, and the free 
Indians were wont in those days to furnish the markets with 
ample supplies of venison and Wild Turkey. ‘The Missis- 
sippi, which bathes the foot of the hill, some hundred feet 
below the town, supplies the inhabitants with fish of various 
kinds. ‘The greatest deficiency is that of water, which for 
common purposes is dragged on sledges or wheels from the 
river, while that used for drinking is collected in tanks from 
the roofs, and becomes very scarce during protracted 
droughts. Until of late years, the orange-tree bore fruit 
in the open air ; but owing to the great change that has taken 
place in the temperature, severe though transient frosts oc- 
casionally occur, which now prevent this plant from coming 
to perfection in the open air. 

The remains of an old Spanish Fort are still to be seen at 
a short distance from the city. If I am correctly informed, 
about two years previous to this visit of mine, a large portion 
of the hill near it gave way, sank about a hundred feet, and 
carried many of the houses of the lower town into the river. 
This, it would appear, was occasioned by the quicksand run- 
ning springs that flow beneath the strata of mixed pebbles 
and clay, of which the hill is composed. 'The part that has 
subsided presents the appearance of a basin or bowl, and is 
used as a depot for the refuse of the town, on which the 
Vultures feed when they can get nothing better. ‘There it 
was that I saw a White-headed Eagle chase one of those 
filthy birds, knock it down, and feast on the entrails of a 
horse, which the Carrion Crow had partly swallowed. 

I did not meet at Natchez with many individuals fond of 
Ornithological pursuits, but the hospitality with which I 
was received was such as I am not likely to forget. Mr. 
Garnier subsequently proved an excellent friend to me, as 


NATCHEZ IN 1820 335 


you may find eleswhere recorded. Of another individual, 
whose kindness towards me is indelibly impressed on my 
heart, I would say a few words, although he was such a man 
as Fenelon alone could describe. Charles Carré was of 
French origin, the son of a nobleman of the old regime. His 
acquirements and the benevolence of his disposition were 
such, that when I first met with him, I could not help looking 
upon him as another Mentor. Although his few remaining 
locks were grey, his countenance still expressed the gaiety 
and buoyant feelings of youth. He had the best religious 
principles; for his heart and his purse were ever open to 
the poor. Under his guidance it was that I visited the whole 
neighbourhood of Natchez; for he was acquainted with all its 
history, from the period at which it had first come under the 
power of the Spaniards to that of their expulsion from the 
country, its possession by the French, and subsequently by 
ourselves. He was also well versed in the Indian languages, 
spoke French with the greatest purity, and was a religious 
poet. Many a pleasant hour have I spent in his company ; 
but alas! he has gone the way of all the earth! 


THE LOST PORTFOLIO 


WuiteE I was at Natchez, on the 3lst of December 1820, 
my kind friend Nicholas Berthoud, Esq. proposed to me to 
accompany him in his keel-boat to New Orleans. At one 
o’clock, the steam-boat Columbus hauled off from the land- 
ing, and took our bark in tow. The steamer was soon plough- ~ 
ing along at full speed, and little else engaged our minds 
than the thought of our soon arriving at the emporium of 
the commerce of the Mississippi. Towards evening, however, 
several inquiries were made respecting particular portions of 
the luggage, among which ought to have been one of my 
portfolios containing a number of drawings made by me 
while gliding down the Ohio and Mississippi from Cincin- 
nati to Natchez, and of which some were to me peculiarly 
valuable, being of birds previously unfigured, and perhaps 
undescribed. The portfolio was nowhere to be found, and 
I recollected that I had brought it under my arm to the mar- 
gin of the stream, and there left it to the care of one of my 
friend’s servants, who, in the hurry of our departure, had 
neglected to take it on board. Besides the drawings of 
birds, there was in this collection a sketch in black chalk, to 
which I always felt greatly attached while from home. It 
is true the features which it represented were indelibly en- 
graved in my heart; but the portrait of her to whom I owe 
so much of the happiness that I have enjoyed was not the less 
dear to me. When I thought during the following night of 
the loss I had sustained in consequence of my own negligence, 
imagined the possible fate of the collection, and saw it in the 
hands of one of the numerous boatmen lounging along the 
shores, who might paste the drawings to the walls of his 
cabin, nail them to the steering-oars of his flat-boat, or dis- 


tribute them among his fellows, I felt little less vexed than I 
336 


THE LOST PORTFOLIO 337 


did some years before when the rats, as you know, devoured a 
much larger collection. 

It was useless to fret myself, and so I began to devise a 
scheme for recovering the drawings. I wrote to Mr. 
Garnier and my venerable friend Charles Carré. Mr. 
Berthoud also wrote to a mercantile acquaintance. The 
letters were forwarded to Natchez from the first landing 
place at which we stopped, and in the course of time we 
reached the great eddy running by the Levee or artificial 
embankment at New Orleans. But before I present you 
with the answers to the letters sent to our acquaintances at 
Natchez, allow me to offer a statement of our adventures on 
the Mississippi. 

After leaving the eddy at Natchez, we passed a long file of 
exquisitely beautiful Bluffs. At the end of twenty hours we 
reached Bayou Sara, where we found two brigs at anchor, 
several steamers, and a number of flat-boats, the place be- 
ing of considerable mercantile importance. Here the 
Columbus left us to shift for ourselves, her commander being 
anxious to get to Baton Rouge by a certain hour, in order to 
secure a good cargo of cotton. We now proceeded along 
the great stream, sometimes floating and sometimes rowing. 
The shores gradually became lower and flatter, orange-trees 
began to make their appearance around the dwellings of the 
wealthy planters, and the verdure along the banks assumed 
a brighter tint. ‘The thermometer stood at 68°in the shade 
at noon; butterflies fluttered among the flowers, of which 
many were in full blow; and we expected to have seen alli- 
gators half-awake floating on the numberless logs that ac- 
companied us in our slow progress. The eddies were cov- 
ered with ducks of various kinds, more especially with the 
beautiful species that breeds by preference on the great 
sycamores that every now and then present themselves along 
our southern waters. Baton Rouge is a very handsome 
place, but at present I have not time to describe it. Levees 
now began to stretch along the river, and wherever there was 


338 THE LOST PORTFOLIO 


a sharp point on the shore, negroes were there amusing them- 
selves by raising shrimps, and now and then a cat-fish, with 
scooping-nets. 

The river increased in breadth and depth, and the sawyers 
and planters, logs so called, diminished in number the nearer 
we drew towards the famed city. At every bend we found 
the plantations increased, and now the whole country on 
both sides became so level and destitute of trees along the 
water’s edge, that we could see over the points before us, 
and observe the great stream stretching along for miles. 
Within the levees the land is much lower than the surface 
of the river when the water is high; but at this time we could 
see over the levee from the deck of our boat only the upper 
windows of the planters’ houses, or the tops of the trees about 
them, and the melancholy looking cypresses covered with 
Spanish moss forming the back ground. Persons. rode 
along the levees at full speed; pelicans, gulls, vultures, and 
carrion crows sailed over the stream, and at times there came 
from the shore a breeze laden with the delicious perfume of 
the orange-trees, which were covered with blossoms and 
golden fruits. 

Having passed Bayou Lafourche, our boat was brought-to 
on account of the wind, which blew with violence. We 
landed, and presently made our way to the swamps, where 
we shot a number of those beautiful birds called Boat-tailed 
Grakles. The mocking birds on the fence-stakes saluted us 
with so much courtesy and with such delightful strains, that 
we could not think of injuring them; but we thought it no 
harm to shoot a whole covey of partridges. In the swamps 
we met with warblers of various kinds, lively and beautiful, 
waiting in these their winter retreats for the moment when 
Boreas should retire to his icy home, and the gentle gales of 
the south should waft them toward their breeding places in 
the north. ‘Thousands of swallows flew about us, the cat- 
birds mewed in answer to their chatterings, the cardinal 
grosbeak elevated his glowing crest as he stood perched on 


THE LOST PORTFOLIO 339 


the magnolia branch, the soft notes of the doves echoed 
among the woods, nature smiled upon us, and we were 
happy. 

' On the fourth of January we stopped at Bonnet Carré, 
where I entered a house to ask some questions about birds. 
I was received by a venerable French gentleman, whom I 
found in charge of about a dozen children of both sexes, and 
who was delighted to hear that I was a student of nature. 
He was well acquainted with my old friend Charles Carré, 
and must, I thought, be a good man, for he said he never 
suffered any of his pupils to rob a bird of her egg or young, 
although, said he with a smile, “they are welcome to peep 
at them and love them.” ‘The boys at once surrounded me, 
and from them I received satisfactory answers to most of 
my queries respecting birds. 

The sixth of January was so cold that the thermometer 
fell to 80°, and we had seen ice on the running boards of 
our keel boat. ‘This was quite unlooked for, and we felt un- 
comfortable; but before the middle of the day, all nature was 
again in full play. Several beautiful steamers passed us. 
The vegetation seemed not to have suffered from the frost; 
green pease, artichokes and other vegetables were in prime 
condition. ‘This reminds me that on one of my late 
journeys, I ate green pease in December in the Floridas, and 
had them once a-week at least in my course over the whole 
of the Union, until I found myself and my family feeding 
on the same vegetable more than a hundred miles to the 
North of the St. John’s River in New Brunswick. 

Early on the seventh, thousands of tall spars, called masts 
by the mariners, came in sight; and as we drew nearer, we 
saw the port filled with ships of many nations, each bearing 
the flag of its country. At length we reached the Levee, and 
found ourselves once more at New Orleans. In a short time 
my companions dispersed, and I commenced a search for 
something that might tend to compensate me for the loss of 
my drawings. 


340 THE LOST PORTFOLIO 


On the 16th of March following, I had the gratification of 
receiving a letter from Mr. A. P. Bodley, of Natchez, in- 
forming me that my portfolio had been found and deposited 
at the office of “the Mississippi Republican,” whence an 
order from me would liberate it. Through the kindness of 
Mr. Garnier, I received it on the 5th of April. So very 
generous had been the finder of it, that when I carefully ex- 
amined the drawings in succession, I found them all present 


and uninjured, save one, which had probably been kept by 
way of commission. 


LABRADOR 


WueEwn I look back upon the many pleasant hours that I 
spent with the young gentlemen who composed my party, 
during our excursions along the coast of sterile and stormy 
Labrador, I think that a brief account of our employments 
may prove not altogether uninteresting to my readers. 

We had purchased our stores at Boston, with the aid of 
my generous friend Dr. Parkman of that city; but unfor- 
tunately many things necessary on an expedition like ours 
were omitted. At Eastport in Maine we therefore laid in 
these requisites. No traveller, let me say, ought to neglect 
any thing that is calculated to ensure the success of his un- 
dertaking, or to contribute to his personal comfort, when 
about to set out on a long and perhaps hazardous voyage. 
Very few opportunities of replenishing stores of provisions, 
clothing or ammunition, occur in such a country as Labra- 
dor; and yet, we all placed too much confidence in the zeal 
and foresight of our purveyors at Eastport. We had 
abundance of ammunition, excellent bread, meat, and po- 
tatoes; but the butter was quite rancid, the oil only fit to 
grease our guns, the vinegar too liberally diluted with cider, 
the mustard and pepper deficient in due pungency. All 
this, however, was not discovered until it was too late to be 
remedied. Several of the young men were not clothed as 
hunters should be, and some of the guns were not so good 
as we could have wished. We were, however, fortunate 
with respect to our vessel, which was a notable sailer, did not 
leak, had a good crew, and was directed by a capital seaman. 

The hold of the schooner was floored, and an entrance 
made to it from the cabin, so that in it we had a very good 
parlour, dining-room, drawing-room, library, &c. all those 


apartments, however, being united into one. An extrava- 
34] 


BAR LABRADOR 


gantly elongated deal table ranged along the centre; one of 
the party had slung his hammock at one end, and in its 
vicinity slept the cook and a lad who acted as armourer. 
The cabin was small; but being fitted in the usual manner 
with side berths, was used for a dormitory. It contained 
a small table and a stove, the latter of diminutive size, but 
smoky enough to discomfit a host. We had adopted in a 
great measure the clothing worn by the American fisherman 
on that coast, namely, thick blue cloth trowsers, a com- 
fortable waistcoat, and a pea-jacket of blanket. Our boots 
were large, round-toed, strong, and well studded with 
large nails to prevent sliding on the rocks. Worsted com- 
forters, thick mittens, and round broad-brimmed hats, com- 
pleted our dress, which was more picturesque than 
fashionable. As soon as we had an opportunity, the boots 
were exchanged for Esquimau mounted moccasins of seal- 
skin, impermeable to water, light, easy, and fastening at 
top about the middle of the thigh to straps, which when 
buckled over the hips secured them well. ‘To complete our 
equipment, we had several good boats, one of which was ex- 
tremely light and adapted for shallow water. 

No sooner had we reached the coast and got into harbour, 
than we agreed to follow certain regulations intended for the 
general benefit. Every morning the cook was called before 
three o’clock. At half-past three, breakfast was on the table, 
and every body equipt. The guns, ammunition, botanical 
boxes, and baskets for eggs or minerals, were all in readi- 
ness. Our breakfast consisted of coffee, bread, and various 
other materials. At four, all except the cook and one sea- 
man, went off in different directions, not forgetting to carry 
with them a store of cooked provisions. Some betook them- — 
selves to the islands, others to the deep bays; the latter on 
landing wandered over the country, until noon, when laying 
themselves down on the rich moss, or sitting on the granite 
rock, they would rest for an hour, eat their dinner, and talk 
of their successes or disappointments. I often regret that 


LABRADOR 343 


I did not take sketches of the curious groups formed by my 
young friends on such occasions, and when, after returning 
at night, all were engaged in measuring, weighing, compar- 
ing and dissecting the birds we had procured, operations 
which were carried on with the aid of a number of candles 
thrust into the necks of bottles. Here one examined the 
flowers and leaves of a plant, there another explored the 
recesses of a diver’s gullet, while a third skinned a gull or a 
grouse. Nor was our journal forgotten. Arrangements 
were made for the morrow, and at twelve we left matters to 
the management of the cook, and retired to our roosts. 

If the wind blew hard, all went on shore, and, excepting on 
a few remarkably rainy days, we continued our pursuits 
much in the same manner during our stay in the country. 
The physical powers of the young men were considered in 
making our arrangements. Shattuck and Ingals went to- 
gether; the Captain and Cooledge were fond of each other, 
the latter having also been an officer; Lincoln and my son 
being the strongest and most determined hunters, generally 
marched by themselves; and I went with one or other of the 
parties according to circumstances, although it was by no 
means my custom to do so regularly, as I had abundance of 
work on hand in the vessel. 

The return of my young companions and the sailors was 
always looked for with anxiety. On getting on board, they 
opened their budgets, and laid their contents on the deck, 
amid much merriment, those who had procured most speci- 
mens being laughed at by those who had obtained the rarest, 
and the former joking the latter in return. A substantial 
meal awaited them, and fortunate we were in having a cap- 
ital cook, although he was a little too fond of the bottle. 

Our “fourth of July” was kept sacred, and every Satur- 
day night the toast of “‘wives and sweethearts” was the first 
given, “parents and friends” the last. Never was there a 
more merry set. Some with the violin and flute accom- 
panied the voices of the rest, and few moments were spent in 


B44 LABRADOR 


idleness. Before a month had elapsed, the spoils of many a 
fine bird hung around the hold; shrubs and flowers were in 
the press, and I had several drawings finished, some of which 
you have seen, and of which I hope you will ere long see the 
remainder. Large jars were filling apace with the bodies 
of rare birds, fishes, quadrupeds, and reptiles, as well as 
molluscous animals. We had several pets too, Gulls, Cor- 
morants, Guillemots, Puffins, Hawks, and a Raven. In 
some of the harbours, curious fishes were hooked in our sight, 
so clear was the water. 

We found that camping out at night was extremely un- 
comfortable, on account of the annoyance caused by flies and 
musquitoes, which attacked the hunters in swarms at all 
times, but more especially when they lay down, unless they 
enveloped themselves in thick smoke, which is not much more 
pleasant. Once when camping, the weather became very 
bad, and the party was twenty miles distant from Whapati- 
guan as night threw her mantle over the earth. The rain 
fell in torrents, the north-east wind blew furiously, and the 
air was extremely cold. The oars of the boats were fixed so 
as to support some blankets, and a small fire was with diffi- 
culty kindled, on the embers of which a scanty meal was 
cooked. How different from a camp on the shores of the 
Mississippi, where wood is abundant, and the air generally 
not lacking heat, where musquitoes, although plentiful 
enough, are not accompanied by carraboo flies, and where 
the barkings of a joyful squirrel, or the notes of the Barred 
Owl, that grave buffoon of our western woods, never fail to 
gladden the camper as he cuts to the right and left such 
branches and canes as most easily supply materials for form- 
ing a lodging for the night! On the coast of Labrador 
there are no such things; granite and green moss are spread 
around, silence like that of the grave envelopes all, and 
when night has closed the dreary scene from your sight, the 
wolves, attracted by the scent of the remains of your scanty 
repast, gather around you. Cowards as they are, they 


LABRADOR ' $45 


dare not venture on a charge; but their howlings effectually 
banish sleep. You must almost roast your feet to keep them 
warm, while your head and shoulders are chilled by the blast. 
When morning comes, she smiles not on you with rosy cheeks, 
but appears muffled in a grey mantle of cold mist, which 
shews you that there is no prospect of a fine day. The ob- 
ject of the expedition, which was to procure some Owls that 
had been observed there by day, was entirely frustrated. 
At early dawn, the party rose stiffened and dispirited, and 
glad were they to betake themselves to their boats, and re- 
turn to their floating home. 

Before we left Labrador, several of my young friends 
began to feel the want of suitable clothing. The sailors’ 
ever-tailoring system was, believe me, fairly put to the test. 
Patches of various colours ornamented knees and elbows; our 
boots were worn out; our greasy garments and battered hats 
were in harmony with our tanned and weather-beaten faces ; 
and, had you met with us, you might have taken us for a 
squad of wretched vagrants; but we were joyous in the ex- 
pectation of a speedy return, and exulted at the thoughts of 
our success. 

As the chill blast that precedes the winter’s tempest thick- 
ened the fogs on the hills and ruffled the dark waters, each 
successive day saw us more anxious to leave the dreary 
wilderness of grim rocks and desolate moss-clad valleys. 
Unfavourable winds prevented us for a while from spread- 
ing our white sails; but at last one fair morning smiled on 
the wintry world, the Ripley was towed from the harbour, 
her tackle trimmed, and as we bounded over the billows, we 
turned our eyes toward the wilds of Labrador, and heartily 
bade them farewell for ever! 


GREAT EGG HARBOUR 


SomE years ago, after having spent the spring in observing 
the habits of the migratory warblers and other land birds, 
which arrived in vast numbers in the vicinity of Camden in 
New Jersey, I prepared to visit the sea shores of that State, 
for the purpose of making myself acquainted with their 
feathered inhabitants. June had commenced, the weather 
was pleasant, and the country seemed to smile in the pros- 
pect of bright days and gentle gales. Fishermen gunners 
passed daily between Philadelphia and the various small 
sea-ports, with Jersey wagons, laden with fish, fowls and 
other provisions, or with such articles as were required by 
the families of those hardy boatmen; and I bargained with 
one of them to take myself and my baggage to Great Egg 
Harbour. 

One afternoon, about sunset, the vehicle halted at my 
lodgings, and the conductor intimated that he was anxious 
to proceed as quickly as possible. A trunk, a couple of 
guns, and such other articles as are found necessary by 
persons whose pursuits are similar to mine, were immediately 
thrust into the wagon, and were followed by their owner. 
The conductor whistled to his steeds and off we went at a 
round pace over the loose and deep sand that in almost every 
part of this State forms the basis of the roads. After a 
while we overtook a whole caravan of similar vehicles moving 
in the same direction, and when we got near them our horses 
slackened their pace to a regular walk, the driver leaped 
from his seat, I followed his example, and we presently found 
ourselves in the midst of a group of merry wagoners, re- 
lating their adventures of the week, it being now Saturday 
night. One gave intimation of the number of “Sheep- 


heads” he had taken to town, ancther spoke of the Curlews — 
. 346 


GREAT EGG HARBOUR BAT 


which yet remained on the sands, and a third boasted of hav- 
ing gathered so many dozens of Marsh Hen’s eggs. I in- 
quired if the Fish Hawks were plentiful near Great Egg 
Harbour, and was answered by an elderly man, who with a 
laugh asked if I had ever seen the “Weak fish” along the 
coast without the bird in question. Not knowing the animal 
he had named, I confessed my ignorance, when the whole 
party burst into a loud laugh, in which, there being noth- 
ing better for it, I joined. 

About midnight the caravan reached a half-way house, 
where we rested a while. Several roads diverged from this 
spot, and the wagons separated, one only keeping us com- 
pany. ‘The night was dark and gloomy, but the sand of the 
road indicated our course very distinctly. Suddenly the 
galloping of horses struck my ear, and on looking back we 
perceived that our wagon must in an instant be in imminent 
danger. The driver leaped off, and drew his steeds aside, 
barely in time to allow the runaways to pass without injur- 
ing us. Off they went at full speed, and not long after their 
owner came up panting, and informed us that they had 
suddenly taken fright at some noise proceeding from the 
woods, but hoped they would soon stop. Immediately after 
we heard a crash; then for a few moments all was silent; but 
the neighing of the horses presently assured us that they had 
broken loose. On reaching the spot, we found the wagon 
upset, and a few yards farther on were the horses quietly 
browsing by the road side. 

The first dawn of morn in the Jerseys in the month of 
June, is worthy of a better description than I can furnish, 
and therefore I shall only say that the moment the sunbeams 
blazed over the horizon, the loud and mellow notes of the 
Meadow Lark saluted our ears. On each side of the road 
were open woods, on the tallest trees of which I observed at 
intervals the nest of a Fish Hawk, far above which the white- 
breasted bird slowly winged its way, as it commenced its 
early journey to the sea, the odour of which filled me with de- 


348 GREAT EGG HARBOUR 


light. In half an hour more, we were in the centre of Great 
Egg Harbour. 

There I had the good fortune to be received into the house 
of a thorough bred fisherman-gunner, who besides owning a 
comfortable cot only a few hundred yards from the shore, 
had an excellent woman for a wife, and a little daughter as 
playful as a kitten, though as wild as a sea gull. In less 
than half an hour, I was quite at home, and the rest of the 
day was spent in devotion. 

Oysters, though reckoned out of season at this period, 
are as good as ever when fresh from their beds, and my first 
meal was of some as large and white as any I have eaten. 
The sight of them placed before me on a clean table, with an 
honest and industrious family in my company, never failed 
to afford more pleasure than the most sumptuous fare under 
different circumstances; and our conversation being simple 
and harmless, gaiety shone in every face. As we became 
better acquainted, I had to answer several questions relative 
to the object of my visit. The good man rubbed his hands 
with joy as I spoke of shooting and fishing, and of long 
excursions through the swamps and marshes around. 

My host was then, and I hope still is, a tall strong-boned 
muscular man, of dark complexion, with eyes as keen as 
those of the Sea-eagle. He was a tough walker, laughed at 
difficulties, and could pull an oar with any man. As to 
shooting, I have often doubted whether he or Mr. Egan, the 
worthy pilot of Indian Isle, was best; and rarely indeed have 
I seen either of them miss a shot. 

At day-break, on Monday, I shouldered my double- 
barrelled gun, and my host carried with him a long fowling- 
piece, a pair of oars, and a pair of oyster-tongs, while the 
wife and daughter brought along a seine. ‘The boat was 
good, the breeze gentle, and along the inlets we sailed for 
parts well known to my companions. ‘To such naturalists 
as are qualified to observe many different objects at the same 
time, Great Egg Harbour would probably afford as ample 


GREAT EGG HARBOUR 349 


a field as any part of our coast, excepting the Florida Keys. 
Birds of many kinds are abundant, as are fishes and testace- 
ous animals. ‘The forests shelter many beautiful plants, 
and even on the dryest sand-bar you may see insects of the 
most brilliant tints. Our principal object, however, was to 
procure certain birds known there by the name of Lawyers, 
and to accomplish this we entered and followed for several 
miles a winding inlet or bayou, which led us to the interior of 
a vast marsh, where after some search we found the birds 
and their nests. Our seine had been placed across the chan- 
nel, and when we returned to it the tide had run out and 
left in it a number of fine fishes, some of which we cooked 
and ate on the spot. One, which I considered as a curiosity, 
was saved and transmitted to Baron Cuvier. Our repast 
ended, the seine was spread out to dry, and we again betook 
ourselves to the marshes, to pursue our researches until the 
return of the tide. Having collected enough to satisfy us, 
we took up our oars, and returned to the shore in front of the 
_ fisherman’s house, where we dragged the seine several times 
with success. 

In this manner I passed several weeks along those delight- 
ful and healthy shores, one day going to the woods to search 
the swamps in which the Herons bred, passing another amid 
the joyous cries of the Marsh Hens, and on a third carrying 
slaughter among the White-breasted Sea Gulls, by way of 
amusement sometimes hauling the fish called the Sheep-head 
from an eddy along the shore, or watching the gay Terns 
as they danced in the air, or plunged into the waters to seize 
the tiny fry. Many a drawing I made at Great Egg Har- 
bour, many a pleasant day I spent along its shores; and 
much pleasure would it give me once more to visit the good 
and happy family in whose house I resided there. 


THE END 


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